ORLANDO, Fla. — A controversial immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as Alligator Alcatraz, will remain operational following a decision by an appeals court on Tuesday. The Eleventh Circuit Court upheld its prior ruling, which blocks a judge's order for the facility to cease operations due to non-compliance with federal environmental law.
The majority of the three-judge panel determined that the detention center, constructed and operated by state officials, was exempt from federal environmental regulations because it is not under federal jurisdiction.
Florida, not federal, officials constructed the facility, the judges stated, emphasizing that the state controls the land and funded the entire building process.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams had previously issued a preliminary injunction to halt operations at the center, concluding that a reimbursement decision had been made indicating federal involvement, yet was countered by the appellate ruling.
The center was established last summer to bolster President Donald Trump's stringent immigration policies. Environmental groups such as Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity led the lawsuit against its operations and vowed to continue their legal fight.
This fight is far from over, stated Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. Alligator Alcatraz was hastily erected in one of the most fragile ecosystems in the country without the most basic environmental review, at immense human and ecological cost.
The dissenting opinion from Judge Nancy Abudu underscored that immigration remains a federal responsibility, arguing that Florida's construction of the facility does not absolve the federal government from its oversight and authority in immigration matters.
Earlier this month, alarming reports surfaced about conditions inside the center, with allegations that guards engaged in excessive force against detainees.
