Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state will find a way to continue detaining immigrants at a facility in the Everglades, despite an Aug. 21 court ruling ordering Florida to halt construction, stop bringing new detainees, and begin winding down operations at the mass detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“We had a judge try to upset the apple cart with respect to our deportation and detainee center in south Florida at Alligator Alcatraz,” Desantis said at a Panama City news conference on Aug. 22. “This is not something that was not expected. This was a judge that was not going to give us a fair shake.”
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a temporary injunction that indicates DeSantis and President Donald Trump should pack up all the trucks, bunks, tarps, fences and people and vacate the property.
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Advocates saw the ruling as a victory, at least for now.
“This is a win for the environment,” said Betty Osecola, an influential member of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. “And though the preliminary injunction was issued, we still need to take a stand to continue this fight because we know very well the state and the federal government are going to continue in their efforts in appealing this decision.”
The Miccosukee reservation is just a few miles from the detention center, which was formerly a flight training center operated by Miami-Dade County.
The facility abuts the Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park.
The ruling stems from a June 27 lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida. The defendants in the case include the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE and Miami-Dade County.
More: Judge tells Trump admin to pack up Alligator Alcatraz, leave the Everglades, Big Cypress
DeSantis declared a state of emergency to circumvent a staff review and a public comment period about the facility, saying the need for a detention center was too great to wait for the typical review process. Construction started in June.
The governor said he remains committed to the facility.
“We’re in the position of leading the state efforts to help the Trump administration remove these illegal aliens not just from Florida but from our country,” he said.
A second lawsuit addresses access to attorneys
In another case, detainees held at the facility have charged that it’s nearly impossible for them to speak confidentially with lawyers or even find out which immigration court can hear their cases.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed suit in the Southern District of Florida, which includes Miami-Dade County, though state and federal officials argued it should have been filed in the Middle District of Florida, which includes Collier County, where the facility is located.
More: Alligator Alcatraz starting to take shape on the edge of sacred ceremony grounds
In a 47-page order issued Aug. 18 in that case, District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz agreed, transferring the case to the Middle District. He also dismissed the immigration court allegations in the lawsuit, saying they were rendered moot by a federal court ruling that designated the judges at Krome North Processing Service Center as those responsible for ruling in the detainees’ cases.
DeSantis said the most recent ruling on “Alligator Alcatraz” won’t affect operations.
“This is not going to deter us. “We’re going to continue the deportations and this mission,” he said.
Breaking News and Visuals Editor Stacey Henson contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ will continue operations says Florida governor
