TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Democrats filed a lawsuit after being denied entry to Crocodile Alcatraz.
On Wednesday, the state invited all Florida state legislators to tour the new immigration detention center near the Everglades. But lawmakers say last week it was illegal to move away from the facility.
Governor DeSantis recovered during an interview with Fox News.
“What we’re not trying to do is provide them with a platform for virtue signals and have a politicized photographic OPP,” Desantis says.
The Pinellas County state legislator was one of the legislators who left the center last week. Shortly afterwards, she said, “We were not allowed. We were told there were safety concerns. When we were forced to hold these safety concerns, we finally hung up the phone to the general advisor of the Florida Department of Emergency Management.”
Desantis said the facility will be reimbursed with federal funding.
The center is funded in state taxpayer dollars for $450 million and will not be refunded by the federal government, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that, according to Florida law, lawmakers are entitled to conduct unpublished visits to Wannial Catraz or to the state or local detention center.
“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.
The governor’s office has sent the following statement to news channel 8, dealing with the lawsuit.
Yesterday, the Florida Department of Emergency Management invited all Florida State Legislatures to tour this weekend. Today, five Democrats responded by filing a frivolous lawsuit demanding access to Wannial Catraz. The state looks forward to quickly distributing this stupid lawsuit.
According to lawmakers, they will be attending a visit to the facility this weekend. They will return in the future for an unannounced visit.
