A US federal judge has put a stop to further expansion of the immigration detention centre built in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz, ordering that its operations wind down within two months.
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US District Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami wrote in her 82-page order late on Thursday that Florida officials never sufficiently explained why an immigration detention centre needed to be located in the middle of sensitive wetlands cherished by environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts.
She also said that state and federal authorities never undertook an environmental review as required by federal law before Florida officials hastily built the detention camp, which they championed as a model for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
That failure adversely affected the “recreational, conservational, and aesthetic interests” of the environmental groups and Miccosukee Tribe that brought the lawsuit, she said.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday reacted to the ruling, saying he would not be deterred by “an activist judge”.
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