The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Florida has received a reimbursement of $608 million for the costs associated with the construction and operation of an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, infamously known as 'Alligator Alcatraz.' This funding decision has placed the facility at risk of potential closure due to environmental concerns raised by various advocacy groups.
An injunction issued by a Miami federal judge in August supported claims by environmental advocates that the site had been improperly converted into a detention center without a necessary environmental review. The judge mandated a two-month timeline for Florida to initiate a wind down of operations at the facility. However, an appellate court recently paused this injunction, arguing that the state had not yet received federal funds for the project, therefore exempting it from the federally mandated environmental impact study.
The appellate court noted, 'If the federal defendants ultimately decide to approve that request and reimburse Florida for its expenditures related to the facility, they may need to first conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).'
The ruling has raised alarms among opponents like Elise Bennett from the Center for Biological Diversity, who characterized the facility as a federal project funded by federal dollars, thus subject to comprehensive environmental assessments. Bennett stated, 'This is a federal project being built with federal funds that’s required by federal law to go through a complete environmental review. We’ll do everything we can to stop this lawless, destructive, and wasteful debacle.'
In remarks made during a visit to the facility, former President Donald Trump praised the center as a potential model for future immigration lockups, as his administration aimed to expand infrastructural capacity for increased deportations. Environmental groups allege that the operational continuation of the detention center goes against both the concern for the environment and the rights of the indigenous communities affected by the facility's placement.
