Associated PressMiami, US (AP) – A United States federal judge on Thursday ordered the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ migrant detention center west of Miami to be dismantled within 60 days and immediately barred the entry of new migrants, siding with a lawsuit filed by environmental groups.
Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida issued a partial ruling in favor of the environmental groups Friends of The Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as the Miccosukee Tribe, which had demanded the complete and immediate closure of the facility due to its damage to the Everglades ecosystem.
The order prohibits the installation of any additional infrastructure such as tents, dormitories, buildings, or offices and forbids paving, excavating or fencing at the site. The center was opened on Jul. 3 at an abandoned airport following a visit by US President Donald Trump.
It also prevents “bringing any additional persons to the site who were not already detained at the site at the time of the order,” although it does not prohibit modifying or repairing existing infrastructure.
After 60 days, authorities must remove the fencing to allow passage for the Miccosukee Tribe, an Indigenous people of the area, as well as take down industrial lighting and remove gas, drainage, and waste facilities from the project, which was championed by Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The lawsuit sought to stop the center on environmental grounds. The facility, built in a natural area home to 36 threatened endemic species like panthers, storks, alligators, and crocodiles, currently has a capacity for 2,000 people and was expected to expand to 4,000, according to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM).
“This is a landmark victory for the Everglades and countless Americans who believe that endangered species should be protected, not exploited,” declared Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, in a statement.
The order was anticipated earlier in the day when Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost said that only 336 migrants remained at the center after he toured it, a third of the number from weeks ago.
“It appears the state itself understands that they could be ordered to shut this down, whether it’s this week, next week, or in the future. There are only 336 people in there right now. The last time I came, there were almost 1,000,” Frost said in a video.
This lawsuit is separate from one filed on immigration grounds by advocates led by the American Civil Liberties Union, who are representing detained migrants alleging human rights violations.
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