Officials required to produce ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ agreements: Judge

Florida and federal officials must produce all agreements relating to an immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades. The order stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, accusing federal immigration departments and state officials of denying detainees’ access to legal counsel. 

U.S. District Court Judge Rodolfo Ruiz ordered the government entities to furnish, among other things, agreements that were signed relating to the facility, sometimes referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to court records. Ruiz gave the agencies until Thursday to produce the required documents. 

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Americans for Immigrant Justice filed the class action lawsuit on July 16 on behalf of the detainees. They accused the federal and state governments of violating people’s right to due process.  

Ruiz’s order comes nearly two weeks after the first set of deportation flights took off from the Florida center. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at the site that the facility supports President Donald Trump’s goal of removing more unauthorized immigrants. 

Ruiz also ordered plaintiffs to identify all entities that have legal custody over detainees and the groups responsible for carrying out detention operations at the facility. He wrote that the requests are necessary and should be expedited to help the court understand what governments committed the alleged acts. 

“The Court here agrees with Plaintiffs’ central point: that ‘the question of who has legal custody over class members, and who is responsible for managing their detention and immigration court proceedings, are directly relevant to a number of issues in this case, including the cause of action, venue, proper defendants, and proper remedy,” Ruiz wrote.

Neither the Miami-Dade County district attorney’s office, representing the county, nor lawyers from Shutts and Bowen law firm, representing Florida officials, immediately responded to Straight Arrow News’ requests for comment. 

The U.S. attorney’s office in Miami, representing all federal entities sued in the lawsuit, declined to comment.

Lawyers for the detainees — the ACLU and Americans for Immigrant Justice — didn’t immediately respond to Straight Arrow News’ requests for comment. 

Ruiz declined the civil rights groups’ motion to request the number of employees working at the facility and the number of people from the government who have been deputized. 

ACLU sues US, Florida officials

The groups are suing after learning conditions at the center were abysmal, with sweltering temperatures, swarms of mosquitoes and denial of religious rights, among other claims. Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said on July 25 that detainees get hot meals, full medical care, legal and clergy services, along with air conditioning in the housing units. 

Organizations sued after detainees’ lawyers made meeting requests at the facility’s checkpoint, but were later told by Florida National Guard or state police officials that in-person visitations weren’t allowed. 

“The government has banned in-person legal visitation, any confidential phone or video communication, and confidential exchange of written documents,” the ACLU said. 

The ACLU criticized the facility for being “hastily constructed” and built in the middle of Florida’s swamp. The center is named after the reptiles that surround it. Florida officials noted how quickly it took for the facility to become operational, but brushed off complaints. 

An Associated Press investigation found that DeSantis’ office awarded at least two dozen contracts under his executive order that declared unauthorized immigration an emergency. Some of those contracts could come up in discovery as they funded warden and corrections officers’ positions, as well as site operations. 

Lawsuits on access, construction

Two other lawsuits surrounding the detention center are pending against DeSantis, Florida and federal officials. 

Environmental groups Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity alleged state and federal officials failed to conduct an environmental review of the site and are violating the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and national park laws. Florida is contesting the venue for the lawsuit. An injunction hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. 

In Florida courts, five Democrats from the legislature sued DeSantis and Guthrie, alleging they were denied access to the facility in their roles as politicians. They said they were denied entry on July 3 during an unannounced visit to review reports of flooding. The case was filed in Florida’s Supreme Court and transferred to the state’s judicial court for the second circuit.