MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge temporarily suspends construction of an immigration detention center built in the middle of the Everglades in Florida and called the “Alligator Alcatraz.”
The facility will continue to operate and retain detainees for US immigration and customs enforcement, but workers will be banned from adding new filling, paving, or infrastructure for the next 14 days. US District Judge Kathleen Williams issued the verdict at the hearing and said he would issue a written order later Thursday.
Environmental groups and the Mikkoski tribe are asking Williams to issue a preliminary injunction to halt the business and build it further. 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.
