A federal judge in Florida ordered late Thursday that some of Alligator Alcatraz be shut down and barred the Sunshine State from bringing in more migrants to the detention facility in a blow to the administration as it ramps up its immigration crackdown.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an appointee of former President Obama, ruled Florida must halt the expansion of Alligator Alcatraz and the installation of more lighting. She also ordered the removal of all “generators, gas, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles that were installed to support this project” within 60 days.
Williams, in her 82-page ruling, said the government must remove temporary fencing to allow Miccosukee Tribe members “access to the site consistent with the access they enjoyed before the erection of the detention camp.”
The ruling is a win for environmental organizations that have argued the detention facility, which opened last month at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, poses a danger to the Florida Everglades and the surrounding wildlife.
Williams said the project creates “irreparable harm in the form of habitat loss and increased mortality to endangered species in the area.”
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
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