Environmental and immigrant advocacy groups are vowing to pursue the permanent shutdown of Florida's controversial immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz," even as federal authorities report moving detainees from the remote Everglades site.
The Department of Homeland Security announced late Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had transferred detainees from the temporary facility, citing the start of Atlantic hurricane season as a safety concern. However, neither DHS nor state officials have confirmed long-term closure plans, and observers at the site reported continued activity including supply deliveries Wednesday.
The detention center, which opened in July last year, has processed roughly 22,000 undocumented immigrants according to Governor Ron DeSantis. The facility drew intense scrutiny over its construction without environmental permits and allegations of inmate mistreatment during its operation.
An alliance of groups including Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians is preparing to return to Miami federal court this month to pursue their lawsuit demanding closure and restoration of the surrounding wetlands.
"We're not going to be done until the lights are off, the fences are down, the tents are gone and there's a commitment that it will not be rebuilt," said Paul Schwiep, the attorney representing the coalition.
Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, expressed skepticism about the DHS announcement. "If we've learned anything over the past year, it's that we can't take the government officials involved in this project at their word," she said, adding that environmental damage continues regardless of the detainee transfers.
The environmental concerns are substantial. Diesel generators operate around the clock, producing air pollution in the Big Cypress National Preserve and surrounding Everglades ecosystem. Continuous outdoor lighting degrades nighttime habitat for endangered Florida bonneted bats and panthers. An estimated 20 or more acres of new pavement is contributing polluted stormwater runoff into the surrounding wetlands, according to environmental lawyers involved in the case.
Elise Bennett, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said judicial oversight remains essential. "If there are truly no more people detained at the facility, that's a significant milestone, but it's not the end of the matter for us," she stated. "We're not going to let the Trump and DeSantis administrations quietly distance themselves from Alligator Alcatraz and pretend it never happened."
The lawsuit centers on a preliminary injunction issued last year by Miami District Court Judge Kathleen Williams ordering the facility's closure. An appeals panel later reversed that ruling, a decision that drew criticism after it was revealed one panelist's spouse worked for a law firm that earned millions serving the DeSantis administration.
The detention center consumed hundreds of millions in state taxpayer funds, with much of the money diverted from emergency preparedness and response budgets. The site was constructed rapidly without environmental permits or formal review processes.
Separately, immigrant advocacy groups also challenged the government's hurricane safety rationale for the transfers. Noelle Damico, director of social justice for the Workers Circle, noted the facility originally opened during hurricane season last year, undermining the current explanation. She cited sustained public pressure, congressional testimony, and media coverage as driving the transfers.
Schwiep said the alliance has no intention of accepting a quiet closure without accountability. "They built a secret gulag in the Everglades without even pulling one permit, without conducting any environmental review, without complying with environmental law, and now they hope that they can slink away in the middle of the night without explaining to anyone what they did, why they did it or how they proposed to clean up the messes they've made," he said. "We don't intend to let them get away with it."
Author James Rodriguez: "The detainee transfers are welcome, but they're only half the story,the real battle is whether authorities will actually restore this ecosystem or quietly walk away once public attention fades."
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