Judge Halts Operations at Everglades Detention Center with Preliminary Injunction

A federal judge today ordered the state of Florida and the Trump administration to halt construction, stop bringing new detainees and begin winding down operations at the mass detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The preliminary injunction, requested by Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe marks a major victory for Florida’s imperiled wildlife and fragile ecosystems which are threatened by the detention center.

In an 82-page ruling, Judge Kathleen Williams cited extensive evidence demonstrating harm to the Everglades caused by operation of the facility, which was built without any of the environmental review required by law.

Today’s decision means the facility must wind down operations in an orderly fashion within 60 days. The environmental groups will host a virtual press conference Friday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m. Eastern to discuss the ruling.

“This is a landmark victory for the Everglades and countless Americans who believe this imperiled wilderness should be protected, not exploited,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. “It sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders at the highest levels of our government — and there are consequences for ignoring them.”

The detention center was hastily built in June to hold thousands of detainees. It poses serious threats to the sensitive Everglades ecosystem, endangered species, clean water and internationally recognized dark night skies.

“This ruling affirms what we argued in court — that the government can’t just build something in the middle of the Everglades and the Big Cypress preserve with no environmental review, and no public input,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice. “This is why we have environmental laws — to protect the wetlands and ecosystems we all depend on from illegal development.”

“This injunction is a huge relief for millions of people who love the Everglades,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This brutal detention center was burning a hole in the fabric of life that supports our most iconic wetland and a whole host of endangered species, from majestic Florida panthers to wizened wood storks. The judge’s order came just in time to stop it all from unraveling.”

Today’s ruling stems from a June 27 lawsuit filed by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, represented by Scott Hiaasen, Paul Schwiep, Earthjustice and Center for Biological Diversity attorneys, and joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.

The detention center site is surrounded on all sides by the Big Cypress National Preserve, one of America’s first national preserves, which protects ecologically sensitive wetlands and a dozen endangered and threatened species, including endangered Florida panthers and Florida bonneted bats. Florida panthers have been documented on the very site where the detention center now sits.

“The state and federal government paved over 20 acres of open land, built a parking lot for 1,200 cars and 3,000 detainees, placed miles of fencing and high-intensity lighting on site and moved thousands of detainees and contractors onto land in the heart of the Big Cypress National Preserve, all in flagrant violation of environmental law,” said Paul Schwiep, counsel for Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity. “Over the course of a four-day hearing we presented many witnesses who testified to the environmental havoc this operation created and the defendants’ callous disregard of the law. The defendants presented just one witness — who could not show that this project was actually needed, much less that it was constructed consistent with the law. We proved our case and are pleased that the court has issued a preliminary injunction against this travesty.”

A temporary restraining order pausing new construction at the detention center — including filling, paving and installation of new infrastructure and lighting — has been in place since Aug. 7. The Aug. 21 preliminary injunction will remain in place while the lawsuit challenging the detention center is heard. The lawsuit says the federal government must undertake a detailed environmental impact study, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.