Florida judge orders closure of 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention centre

US district court judge ordered the closure of the detention centre for deportees because of its environmental impact on the protected Florida Everglades

People demonstrate outside the immigrant detention centre known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, on 16 August (Chandan Khanna/AFP)

People demonstrate outside the immigrant detention centre known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, on 16 August (Chandan Khanna/AFP)

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A federal judge in Miami dealt a blow to the Trump administration’s controversial Florida detention centre on Thursday night.

US district court judge Kathleen Williams ordered the closure of the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention centre within 60 days and ruled no more detainees could be brought to the facility because of the irreparable damage it would do to the Florida Everglades, which are protected under both state and federal laws.

In her 82-page order, Williams noted that her ruling built on decades of political support for conserving the Everglades.

“Since that time, every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation, and protection of the Everglades,” she wrote. “This order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfill those promises.”

The preliminary injunction formalised a temporary halt Williams ordered two weeks ago on 7 August.

A lawsuit was brought against the facility by environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, who asserted that it would cause “direct and indirect harm” to the fragile wetlands, protected plants and wildlife, such as the Florida panther and bonneted bat, and air and water quality. They also said it would threaten the environmental restoration that has been undertaken at the Everglades.

They argued that any continued development of the facility should be terminated until federal and state officials complied with federal environmental laws.

Miccosukee Tribe chairman Talbert Cypress welcomed the court’s decision in a public statement and said this case is not the first time the tribe has had to fight for its land and rights.

“The Miccosukee Tribe remains steadfast in our commitment to protect our ancestral lands in Big Cypress from development as a permanent detention facility.

“We will continue to fight to ensure the government does not dodge its legal requirements for environmental review on seized public lands sacred to our people,” Cypress added.

The government also looks set to continue to fight. After the ruling was issued on Thursday night, the state of Florida filed a notice of appeal.

'Alligator Alcatraz'

The detention centre was constructed in just eight days and opened on 2 July. The Florida facility was dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by Republican lawmakers because it is located in the Big Cypress National Preserve, which is surrounded by marshlands containing pythons and alligators.

‘Alligator Alcatraz’: Trump administration builds Florida detention centre for deportees

Alcatraz is a reference to the notorious and isolated former prison located in San Francisco Bay, which has now become a popular tourist destination.

Like its namesake, the conditions inside the centre are grim. Rows of bunk beds are caged by chain link fences, which sit under large white tents.

The tents are situated next to a runway, which is set to be used for rapid deportation flights.

It is estimated to accommodate up to 3,000 people, and in the several weeks it has been open, it has detained an estimated 1,400 people. The facility has also already faced criticism for its harsh conditions, human rights violations and deportees being denied due process before being deported.

President Donald Trump claimed the camp is a place for “some of the most vicious people on the planet”, although many people being held there have no active criminal proceedings against them.

A report by the Miami Herald showed that 250 people out of a list of 700 people there had no criminal convictions or violations against them. Instead, they were listed as having immigration violations.

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