MIAMI – Construction of a makeshift immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” could be halted indefinitely as a federal judge considered Wednesday whether the hasty development on sensitive wetlands violates environmental laws.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a two-week halt on additional construction at the site while witnesses testify. The first phase of “Alligator Alcatraz” opened in July and less than 1,000 detainees were being held there as of last week.
Witnesses for the environmental groups have testified that at least 20 acres of asphalt have been added to the site since the Florida Division of Emergency Management began construction. They said additional paving could lead to an increase in water runoff to the adjacent wetlands, spread harmful chemicals into the Everglades and reduce the habitat for endangered Florida panthers.
Amy Castaneda, the Miccosukee Tribe’s water resource director, testified Tuesday that nutrient runoff from the detention center could flow into tribal lands, changing vegetation growth. That could lead to fish kills and block humans and wildlife from moving throughout certain areas, she said.
Marcel Bozas, director of the Miccosukee Tribe’s fish and wildlife department, said tribe members hunt and fish for subsistence and cultural reasons. He said sustained human activity can drive away game animals as well as protected species.
The temporary order doesn’t include any restrictions on law enforcement or immigration enforcement activity at the center, which was built two months ago at a lightly used, single-runway training airport. It’s designed to eventually hold up to 3,000 detainees.
President Donald Trump toured the detention center last month and suggested it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.
Inside the compound’s large white tents, rows of bunkbeds are surrounded by chain-link cages. People held there say worms turn up in the food, toilets don’t flush and flood floors with fecal waste, while mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere. At times the air conditioners abruptly shut off in the sweltering heat. Detainees are said to go days without showering or getting prescription medicine, and can only speak to lawyers and loved ones by phone.
