A federal appeals court has overturned a legal order requiring Florida and the Trump administration to close 'Alligator Alcatraz,' allowing the immigration detention centre to remain operational.
In a 2-1 ruling, the appellate court in Atlanta granted the request from the state of Florida and the US homeland security department to block a lower court's injunction pending the outcome of a lawsuit.
Alligator Alcatraz is in fact, like we've always said, open for business, stated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Last month, US District Judge Kathleen Williams had ordered a halt to the facility's expansion and mandated that its dismantling begin within 60 days.
Judge Williams, appointed by former President Barack Obama, had sided with environmental groups and a Native American tribe who argued that the facility required federal environmental reviews. However, the recent ruling from the 11th Circuit suggests that state and federal officials are likely to show that the facility was exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act.
The homeland security department celebrated the appellate ruling as a victory for the rule of law, criticizing the lawsuit as an obstruction to law enforcement. Florida's governor welcomed the decision, highlighting the impracticality of environmental regulations in this context.
Conversely, environmental advocates expressed disappointment, framing the ruling as detrimental to the Everglades and asserting that the legal battles are far from over. The Miccosukee Tribe, who claim the facility endangers their ancestral lands, has yet to provide a public statement.
