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Miami-Dade Democrats want Mayor Levine Cava to fight in court to close Alligator Alcatraz

By Sergio R. Bustos

July 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM EDT

Miami-Dade Young Democrats wants Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and other top county officials to take DeSantis administration officials to court to force them to shut down the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center in the Everglades.

“The unbelievable cruelty of the DeSantis and Trump Administrations towards hard working, honest, and law abiding Hispanic, Haitian, and other foreign born residents of this state needs to stop,” said Justin Mendoza-Routt, President of the Miami-Dade Young Democrats Miami-Dade, in a statement.

“We call on Mayor [Daniella] Levine-Cava and the Board of County Commissioners, and all Democrats to do everything within their legal powers to close down this inhumane concentration camp, and help restore sanity and empathy to our state’s approach to immigration.”

READ MORE: Florida Immigration Coalition wants Miami-Dade to go to court to close 'Alligator Alcatraz'

The group held a press conference on Friday at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in Miami to make their public plea to Levine Cava and other county officials.

Earlier this week, Levine Cava sent letters to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Attorney General, "expressing concern and urging greater transparency about the alarming number of deaths and medical emergencies at immigration detention centers in Florida and nationwide."

“We are particularly troubled by reports of dangerous conditions at ICE facilities nationwide and of multiple deaths that have occurred in federal facilities in our community," said Levine Cava in a statement.

The Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, where Gov. Ron DeSantis used his power as governor to take over the county-owned facility to turn it into an immigration detention center, is temporarily housing suspected undocumented immigrants. Detainees are already being processed.

It was just a few weeks ago when Florida officials raced to erect the compound of heavy-duty tents, trailers and temporary buildings in only eight days, as part of the state’s efforts to help carry out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. It includes more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet of barbed wire and 400 security staff.

The facility is located about 50 miles west of Miami and will have a capacity of about 3,000 detainees when fully operational, according to state and federal officials.

Constructing the facility is estimated to cost $450 million a year, with the expenses incurred by Florida and reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Immigrants apprehended Florida law enforcement officers under the federal government's 287(g) program will be taken to the facility. The program is led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and allows police officers to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation.

Environmental groups have filed a federal lawsuit late last month to block the construction of Alligator Alcatraz.

The lawsuit, filed in Miami federal court, seeks to halt the “reckless plan” until it undergoes a stringent environmental review as required by federal law.

The lawsuit was filed by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and Miami-Dade County.