Aug. 21 (UPI) --A federal judge has directed Florida and the Trump administration to cease operations at their Everglades mass detention center, stopping construction and the intake of new detainees. The facility is commonly referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz."
The preliminary injunctionwas issued on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who supported the non-profits Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, the organizations that initiated the lawsuit. These groups alleged that both the state and federal governments constructed the immigration detention center in breach of environmental regulations, as no environmental assessment was conducted.
Williams, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama, also required the governments to remove temporary barriers, lighting equipment, generators, fuel, sewage, and other waste management facilities at the location within 60 days. She additionally mandated that no additional detainees be transported to the site.
The decision marks a win for environmental organizations and immigration supporters who have opposed the building of the detention center at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site, and represents a significant loss for the Trump administration, which has aimed to quickly increase its immigration detention capacity during its immigration enforcement efforts.
"This marks a significant triumph for the Everglades and many Americans who advocate for the preservation of this vulnerable natural area, rather than its exploitation," Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, stated.a statement.
It conveys a strong message that environmental regulations need to be upheld by those in the highest positions within our government—and there are repercussions for disregarding them.
In her decision, Williams claims that both the Florida and federal governments breached the National Environmental Policy Act by starting construction at the location without carrying out an environmental assessment.
Here, there were no 'deficiencies' in the agency's process. There was no process at all," she stated in her 82-page decision. "The defendants did not engage with any stakeholders or experts and conducted no assessment of environmental risks and alternatives, which the court could have used to determine the probability that the agency would make the same choice if it had performed a NEPA-compliant evaluation.
She added that because both the federal and state governments have invested billions of dollars in funding preservation and restoration initiatives in the region, "the court assumes a comprehensive examination of environmental effects and options could produce valuable findings."
She further mentioned that the non-profit organizations have recognized "a wide range of dangers" that the facility presents to wetlands and the wildlife living in the region. The temporary restraining order also involves the Miccosukee Tribe, who reside in the area and had joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs, arguing that the facility would impact their food and water sources.
"Plaintiffs also demonstrated that runoff and wastewater from the camp could contaminate the water supply in the Miccosukee Reservation — where 80% of tribal members live — located just a few miles downstream from the TNT site, and further," she stated.
The facility was announced on June 25, followed by the environmental groups filing their lawsuit two days later.
The harsh detention facility was causing significant damage to the ecosystem that sustains our most famous wetland and numerous threatened species, including the grand Florida panther and the aged wood stork," said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "The judge's decision arrived just in time to prevent everything from falling apart.