Operations at 'Alligator Alcatraz' back on after appeals court halts judge's order

A federal appeals court on Thursday halted a lower court judge s order to end operations indefinitely at the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center built in the Florida Everglades The panel voted - to stay the judge s order pending the outcome of an appeal allowing the facility to continue holding migrant detainees for now Last month U S District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction blocking Florida from further expanding the detention center and ordering operations to dwindle by the end of October The judge also ordered the state to transfer detainees to other facilities and to remove equipment and fencing The rulings came after a lawsuit brought by Friends of the Everglades the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe accused the state and federal officers of not following federal law requiring an environmental review for the detention center which the groups argue threatens sensitive wetlands that have protected plants and animals FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS FLORIDA FROM FURTHER EXPANSION OF 'ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ' IMMIGRATION DETENTION FACILITY This is a heartbreaking blow to America s Everglades and every living creature there but the occurrence isn t even close to over Elise Bennett a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity disclosed in a report In June Gov Ron DeSantis administration moved briskly to build the facility at a single-runway training airport in the middle of the Everglades to encouragement President Donald Trump s efforts to detain and deport immigrants DeSantis has disclosed the facility's location was intended to deter escape plans Trump toured the facility in July and suggested it could be used as a model for future facilities across the country to promotion his mass deportation plan Reacting to Thursday's ruling DeSantis commented that suggests that the facility would soon shutter were false We disclosed we would fight that We mentioned the mission would continue So Alligator Alcatraz is in fact like we've invariably mentioned open for business he noted on social media LAWSUITS THREATEN TO UPEND ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ OPERATIONSThe Department of Homeland Precaution described the ruling as a win for the American people the rule of law and common sense This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility DHS announced in a comment It has and will inevitably be about open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities full stop Florida personnel commented in court papers this week that it would resume accepting detainees at the facility if the request for a stay was granted Though plaintiffs say the occurrence is far from over claiming that the facility will eventually be shut down In the meantime if the DeSantis and Trump administrations choose to ramp operations back up at the detention center they will just be throwing good money after bad because this ill-considered facility which is causing harm to the Everglades will ultimately be shut down Eve Samples executive director of Friends of the Everglades commented in a announcement The plaintiffs have argued that because Florida financed the project itself and the federal ruling body hasn t directly contributed Alligator Alcatraz falls outside federal environmental review requirements even though it houses federal detainees In Thursday's ruling the appeals court largely accepted those maintains The Associated Press contributed to this document