Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe who filed suit against building Alligator Alcatraz hailed the decision Thursday night by a federal judge who ordered Florida officials and the Trump administration to halt construction and wind down operations of the controversial immigration detention center in the middle of the Everglades.
“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, in a joint statement Thursday night with other plaintiffs.
Alligator Alcatraz is located in Big Cypress National Preserve and is about 45 miles west of Miami.
“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," Samples said.
“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," said Bennett. "The judge’s order came just in time to stop it all from unraveling.”
Miccosukee Tribe Chairman Talbert Cypress said this isn't the first time the tribe has had to fight for its land and rights. “We will always stand up for our culture, our sovereignty, and for the Everglades,” Cypress said in a statement.
Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed their lawsuit on June 27 just days before Alligator Alcatraz opened and began detaining hundreds of suspected undocumented immigrants. the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida later joined the suit, arguing the facility was built on sacred land.
READ MORE: Florida must stop expanding 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration center, judge says
The lawsuit is demanding that the federal government conduct a detailed environmental impact study, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act."
In her 82-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams noted the evidence presented showed harm to the Everglades and built without any environmental review. She also said state officials never explained sufficiently why the facility needed to be in the middle of the Florida Everglades.
"What is apparent, however, is that in their haste to construct the detention camp, the State did not consider alternative locations," Williams said.
Tania Galloni, managing attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice, which is representing the plaintiffs, said the 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."
“This is why we have environmental laws — to protect the wetlands and ecosystems we all depend on from illegal development," Galloni said.
"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 the Center for Biological Diversity.
"We proved our case and are pleased that the court has issued a preliminary injunction against this travesty,” Schwiep said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
