A coalition of conservation groups has welcomed a federal judge’s ruling on Thursday that halts construction work on the immigration jail in the Florida Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz.
US district judge Kathleen Williams ordered workers to stop adding any new paving, infrastructure or ground filling at the remote tented detention camp that the Trump administration intends to use to eventually hold 3,000 immigrants awaiting deportation.
Her verbal ruling, which she said would be reinforced by a written restraining order later on Thursday, will be in effect for two weeks while attorneys argue whether the construction of the camp broke environmental rules.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) can continue to operate the camp and hold detainees there, Williams said, pending the resolution of the lawsuit’s claims that the project threatens fragile wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals, and will reverse billions of dollars’ worth of environmental restoration.
“It’s a relief that the court has stepped in to protect the Everglades’ sensitive waters, starry skies and vulnerable creatures from further harm while we continue our case,” said Elise Bennett, attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
“We’re ready to press forward and put a stop to this despicable plan for good.”
The lawsuit, filed in Miami district court by an alliance including the Friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, is challenging only the environmental impact of the jail, which opened last month after a high-visibility visit by Donald Trump.
A separate lawsuit brought by civil rights groups says detainees’ constitutional rights are being violated. They claim they are barred from meeting lawyers and are being held without charges, and that a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. A hearing in that case is scheduled for 18 August.
In addition to facing legal proceedings, the opening of Alligator Alcatraz has been greeted by a wave of outrage by Democrats, some of whom toured the facility last month and decried “inhumane” conditions inside, including detainees held in cages, flooding from heavy rain, non-functioning toilets, broken air conditioning and swarms of mosquitoes.
It was later also revealed that despite Trump’s assurances that the jail was reserved for “deranged psychopaths” and “some of the most vicious people on the planet”, hundreds of detainees had no criminal records or active charges against them.
The lawsuit claims the detention facility violates the National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa), which requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of major construction projects.
Jesse Panuccio, attorney for the state of Florida, said during the hearing that although the detention center would be holding federal detainees, the construction and operation of the facility was entirely under the