TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A group of Florida Environmental Advocates have filed a lawsuit in federal court to close an ice detention center known as Wannial Catraz.
Friends of the Everglades said there were no reviews of the environmental sites before the centre was opened. The governor has previously denied the environmental impact.
200 Marines deployed in Florida to support the ice for immigration crackdown
The group filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem. In a news release, the group said the lawsuit includes ICE and the Florida Office of Emergency Management.
A Homeland Security lawyer said he wanted to withdraw the case as the detention center is a state’s operating and funding facility.
A Florida Democrat said it was an additional reason to access it to inspect immigration detention centers. State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, outside of Orange County, recorded the video on a cell phone outside the Southeast Florida facility.
“What are the conditions within the facility? Are people’s due process rights respected? What is the hurricane evacuation plan considering flooding is occurring even before the facility is opened?” Smith asked.
He and other Democrats, including Pinellas County State Rep. Michelle Rayner, were denied access to inspect the facility Thursday.
“We have the statutory authority to ensure that we can inspect them without being announced to detention centres, local government prisons, or prisons,” Rayner said.
Rayner refers to State Law 944.23 (Laws & Constitution: Opinion Law: Online Sunshine).
Federal court records show homeland security attorneys firmly deny the federal office has financial or operational involvement. The department added that the temporary detention centre is funded on state land.
“We weren’t allowed. We were told there were safety concerns. When we were pressed for these safety concerns, we were ultimately engrossed in the general advisor to the Florida Department of Emergency Management,” Rayner said.
State officials have not responded to requests for comment on News Channel 8.
Federal court records revealed the state’s immigration operations enforcement plan. It says there are several potential locations near the runway when following state detention standards set by state-favoured ice during hurricane season.
Court records also showed that there were nine Florida National Security Guards trained to become Trump-administered immigration judges.
A Homeland Security spokesman also confirmed that the U.S. Marines will support immigration enforcement in Florida.
