‘Alligator Alcatraz’ fight: DeSantis vows to appeal judge's order to scale back Everglades immigrant-detention center

Gov. Ron DeSantis talks Alligator Alcatraz judge's ruling

Gov. Ron DeSantis said a federal judge's ruling barring more people from being sent to Alligator Alcatraz, an ICE detention facility in South Florida, would not stop them from enforcing immigration. He referred to the judge as an "activist judge," and said the ruling was not unexpected. He said the state would respond accordingly. DeSantis also talked about the semi truck driver accused of killing 3 people after making an illegal U-Turn on the Florida Turnpike. DeSantis said that driver was from Indian, but came to the U.S. illegally through Mexico. DeSantis said he did not speak English, yet obtained his CDL in both Washington and California.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing ahead with plans for a controversial immigrant-detention center in the Everglades despite a federal judge’s order to begin dismantling parts of the facility.

What we know:

A federal judge has ordered Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to begin dismantling portions of a controversial immigrant-detention center in the Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." 

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The ruling halts further construction, bans the transfer of new detainees and requires removal of fencing, lighting and equipment within 60 days. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe sued, arguing the state skipped a required federal environmental review.

What we don't know:

It remains unclear whether the state will comply with the order during the appeals process. DeSantis’ office has not confirmed if dismantling will begin while the case moves to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Questions also linger over why the site was chosen in the Everglades and whether other detention centers, including one DeSantis has proposed in Baker County, will face similar challenges.

The backstory:

The lawsuit claims both the DeSantis and Trump administrations failed to follow the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires environmental-impact studies and public input before projects can proceed. 

The Miccosukee Tribe says the facility, located near the Big Cypress National Preserve, threatens sacred ceremonial sites, tribal traditions and endangered species habitats. The facility has already disrupted access to off-road trails and plants used for medicine and ceremonies.

What they're saying:

The Everglades facility has become a point of contention for critics who accuse the state of prioritizing political theater over legal requirements. 

"We knew the minute this judge got the case, we knew exactly what she was going to do," said Gov. Ron DeSantis. "This is not anything that was unexpected, but we will make sure to get the job done in the end."

Environmental advocates say runoff and wastewater from the complex could pollute waterways where most Miccosukee tribal members live.

"We are still concerned because the psychic harm, the mental trauma that our children and our young adults are going to have to live with … will be felt for generations," explained Curtis Osceola, Miccosukee attorney. "When it comes to our homelands, there is no compromise, and we will continue to fight."

Attorney Paul Schwiep, for environmental groups, said, "Any rational NEPA analysis … would conclude it makes no sense to build a 5,000-person detention center in the heart of the Everglades."

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