MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday heard debate about whether the construction of an immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades would be called “Alligator Alcatraz” because it failed to comply with environmental laws.
Until the law is followed, environmental groups and the Mikkoskie tribe said U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams should issue a preliminary injunction for a halt operation and further construction. The lawsuit alleges that the project threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands, home to protected plants and animals, and reverses billions of dollars worth of environmental recovery.
The Miami lawsuit against federal and state officials is one of two legal challenges for the South Florida Detention Center, which was built more than a month ago by Florida on an isolated runway owned by Miami-Dade County.
The second lawsuit filed by a civil rights group says that the detainee’s constitutional rights are violated because they are banned from the counsel’s meeting and are being held without charge, and the federal immigration court has cancelled the bond hearing. The hearing is scheduled for August 18th.
Under the federal environmental law 55 years ago, federal agencies should follow other procedural rules, such as considering how building detention centers will affect the environment, identifying ways to minimize the impact and allowing public comments, according to environmental groups and tribes.
Because federal agencies have authority over immigration, it makes no difference that detention centers with hundreds of detainees were built by Florida.
“The construction of a detention center is a lawsuit that is inevitably subject to federal administration and liability,” they said in a recent court filing. “Florida does not have the power or jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration laws.”
Last week, attorneys for federal and state agencies asked Williams to dismiss or assign requests for an injunction, saying the lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. The property is owned by Miami-Dade County, but the Southern District of Florida is the wrong place in the lawsuit as the detention center is located in nearby Collier County, located in the state’s central district.
Williams had not yet controlled the debate.
The lawsuit was heard as the administration of the Ron DeSantis, a Florida Republican, was preparing to build a second immigration detention center at the Florida National Guard Training Center in North Florida. At least one contract has been awarded for what is labeled “North Detention Facility” in state records.
