DeSantis hits back at judge’s Alligator Alcatraz halt

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis fired back after a federal judge ordered a two-week stop to construction at Alligator Alcatraz — the controversial immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades critics say is rife with unsafe and inhumane living conditions — as she weighs claims that environmental laws are being violated. Despite the pause, the state is continuing to support President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown, DeSantis insisted.

Detentions will continue

DeSantis defiantly declared that the halt would not affect Florida’s immigration enforcement work. “Operations at Alligator Alcatraz are ongoing and deportations are continuing,” DeSantis wrote on social media in the wake of the judge’s decision. The governor’s Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi further wrote that the ruling “will have no impact on immigration enforcement in Florida. Alligator Alcatraz will remain operational, continuing to serve as a force multiplier to enhance deportation efforts.”

What’s been halted

While Alligator Alcatraz — which is what officials have dubbed the repurposed Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Fla. — can continue to hold people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, any expansion of or new construction at the facility was barred by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ order. That includes a pause on not only putting up new buildings, tents, dormitories and other residential or administrative facilities but also a stop to any paving, filling, excavating or fencing and lighting installation at the facility, which was rapidly built at the start of the summer with the goal of holding up to 3,000 detainees.

The issue under debate

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe want operations at Alligator Alcatraz stopped, claiming in legal filings that it threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands and the protected plants and animals that live there. Billions of dollars’ worth of environmental restoration that’s been done in the area is at risk of being reversed, they’ve claimed, further arguing the facility violates the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. That requires federal agencies to evaluate environmental impacts of major construction projects. The state’s legal team countered that even though Alligator Alcatraz is holding federal detainees, Florida is overseeing its construction and operation, therefor NEPA doesn’t apply. According to the environmental groups’ lawyers, however, the facility wouldn’t even be there if the federal government didn’t need somewhere to hold detainees, Newsweek reported.

Alligator Alcatraz critics react

Leaders for the Native American and environmental groups fighting the facility were pleased with the judge’s decision to at least temporarily halt its growth. Talbert Cypress — the chairman of the Miccosukee Tribe — said in a statement that his tribe welcomes “the court’s decision to pause construction on this deeply concerning project. The detention facility threatens land that is not only environmentally sensitive but sacred to our people. While this order is temporary, it is an important step in asserting our rights and protecting our homeland. The Miccosukee Tribe will continue to stand for our culture, our sovereignty and the Everglades.” Eve Samples, executive director at Friends of the Everglades, shared in a statement that her group is glad “the judge saw the urgent need to put a pause on additional construction, and we look forward to advancing our ultimate goal of protecting the unique and imperiled Everglades ecosystem from further damage caused by this mass detention facility.”

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