Lawsuit filed by environmental organizations to halt Florida detention center dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Environmental groups have taken legal action by filing a federal lawsuit to stop the building and operation of a detention center for undocumented immigrants known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” This facility is causing concern as it poses a threat to the delicate ecosystem of the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve.

The lawsuit was initiated by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity. They claim that both federal and state agencies have failed to comply with laws that mandate a thorough assessment of the potential environmental impacts before proceeding with such a project.

The detention center is being constructed at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, a secluded area primarily used for flight training purposes. Governor Ron DeSantis recently mentioned during an interview on Fox News that the reception of undocumented immigrants at the facility might commence as early as Tuesday.

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“The hasty transformation of the site into a mass detention facility, which includes the installation of housing units, construction of sanitation and food services systems, industrial high-intensity lighting infrastructure, diesel power generators, substantial fill material altering the natural terrain, and provision of transportation logistics (including apparent planned use of the runway to receive and deport detainees) poses clear environmental impacts,” the lawsuit said. “The defendants, in their rush to build the center, have unlawfully bypassed the required environmental reviews. The direct and indirect harm to nearby wetlands, wildlife and air and water quality, and feasible alternatives to the action, must be considered under NEPA (a federal law known as the National Environmental Policy Act) before acting.”

The project has drawn national attention as Florida officials say they are trying to help President Donald Trump crack down on illegal immigration. DeSantis has brushed off arguments that the facility could harm the environment, saying Wednesday that opponents are “trying to use the Everglades as a pretext for the fact that they oppose immigration enforcement.”

“It isn’t like we are going to start doing permanent sewer and all the other things,” DeSantis said. “It’s all temporary. We’ll set it up and we’ll break it down. This isn’t our first rodeo. The impact will be zero.”

The lawsuit, filed in the federal Southern District of Florida, names as defendants U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons; Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie; and Miami-Dade County. The county owns the site, which is also partly in Collier County.

While Florida has taken the lead in building and planning to operate the facility, the federal government will pay for it.

Attorneys from the Center for Biological Diversity, the Earthjustice legal organization and the Coffey Burlington law firm contend in the 27-page lawsuit that the federal and state agencies have violated the National Environmental Policy Act and a law known as the Administrative Procedure Act.

Also, they allege a violation of the Miami-Dade County code and that the state Division of Emergency Management “has no independent legislative authority to construct and manage a correctional facility.”

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The lawsuit said the National Environmental Policy Act requires federal agencies to prepare evaluations of projects that can significantly affect the environment. It said, for example, that the planned detention center is in an area that serves as habitat for endangered and threatened species such as the Florida panther.

“The (detention) facility and associated operations will use and impair the Big Cypress National Preserve by causing direct and indirect harm to its wetlands, wildlife and air and water quality,” the lawsuit said. “These impacts will result in the degradation of the natural, scenic, hydrologic, floral and faunal and recreational values for which the preserve was created.”

While the lawsuit seeks an injunction, DeSantis’ appearance Friday on the “Fox & Friends” program on Fox News showed extensive activity at the site. Trucks, other vehicles and equipment could be seen in the background, and DeSantis walked into a large tent-like structure that would house detainees.

“This is going to be a force multiplier, and we’re really happy to be working with the federal government to satisfy President Trump’s mandate,” DeSantis said.

— News Service Assignment Manager Tom Urban contributed to this report.