A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration and the state of Florida to effectively reduce operations in the controversial immigrant detention center in the Everglades known as “Alcatraz” about environmental concerns.
In a 82 pages decision On Thursday night, US district judge Kathleen Williams granted a preliminary court order that prohibits the government from transferring any additional detainee to the site or performing more construction work.
Within 60 days, the judge ordered the Trump administration to eliminate temporary fences, industrial lighting, generators, wastewater and waste receptacles from the site.
The temporary detention center called “Aligator Alcatraz” was built on an airstrip rarely used in the Florida Everglades.
Peter Charalambous/ABC News
A coalition of environmental groups and an American native tribe demanded by the site, arguing that the Government ignored the necessary environmental reviews before building the extension installation. The judge agreed with the plaintiffs that Florida officials and the Trump administration violated the National Environmental Policy Law, risking irreparable damage to the sensitive environment of Everglades.
“The plaintiffs have provided extensive evidence that supports their claims of significant and probably future environmental damage of the project,” the judge wrote.
Williams had issued a temporary restriction order two weeks ago blocking additional construction on the site.
The preliminary judicial order marks one of the most high profile uses of the environmental law to challenge the policies of the Trump administration.
“Each governor of Florida, all Senators of Florida and innumerable local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly promised their unequivocal support for restoration, conservation and protection of Everglades. This order does nothing but maintain the basic requirements of the legislation designed to comply with those promises,” the judge wrote.
Florida officials are already pointing out plans to appeal today’s decision before the Court of Appeals of the eleventh circuit, presenting an appeal notice in the Florida Federal Court.
The environmental groups that filed the lawsuit held the decision as a “historical victory for the Everglades.”
“This brutal detention center was burning a hole in the fabric of life that supports our most emblematic wetland and a large number of endangered species, from majestic Florida panthers to wooden storks.
There were two main demands challenging the use of the installation, one based on the legal access limited to the installation and another based on environmental concerns. Earlier this week, a federal judge dismissed part of the claim related to legal access because the Department of Justice appointed a nearby immigration court for the installation.
