A coalition of environmental advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday aimed at halting the construction of Alligator Alcatraz, a massive new immigrant detention and deportation center in the heart of the Florida Everglades. The facility is scheduled to open Monday at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.Alligator Alcatraz will hold up to 5,000 illegal immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda.The lawsuit, filed by Friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice, and the Center for Biological Diversity, claims the federal government violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental review before approving the facility. NEPA mandates such reviews for major federal projects to assess potential harm to ecosystems. “It’s the law. You don’t undertake a massive project like this without conducting an environmental review,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney at Earthjustice. “Once you destroy an ecosystem, it is very hard, if not impossible, to come back from it.”The plaintiffs are asking the court to pause construction and compel federal agencies to conduct a full environmental study and provide a public comment period.“This case is about making sure that we can put a pause on those activities,” said Elise Bennett, another environmental attorney involved in the suit. “And a court can order those agencies to go and actually look at the environmental consequences of the project.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the lawsuit as a political stunt.“They are trying to use the Everglades as a pretext for the fact that they oppose immigration enforcement,” DeSantis said. “Let’s be clear. That’s where you are on the far left now — they don’t want the laws enforced at all.”Environmentalists argue the issue transcends politics, warning the project threatens one of the nation’s most critical ecosystems. The Everglades provide essential drinking water to millions and serve as a sanctuary for endangered species, including the iconic Florida panther.“A place that is really special to the state is essential to our drinking water supply and to species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world,” Galloni said. This is not the first time the Dade-Collier site has sparked environmental concerns. In the 1970s, the same location was proposed as the site for what would have been the world’s largest airport. That project was ultimately canceled due to environmental opposition, though one runway was built and is currently used for pilot training.Environmentalists now argue that repurposing the site for a detention center would vastly expand its footprint and pose new threats to wetlands and wildlife.“It’s a completely different use to transform it from a limited training facility to a mass detention center,” Galloni said. “Completely different environmental impacts and a much huger footprint than anything that’s ever been there before.” Critics of the detention center also point to the federal and state investment — over $20 billion — spent over the past several decades to restore and protect the Everglades. They argue that building the facility would undermine decades of progress.“We’re extremely concerned about impacts to wetlands,” said Eve Samples. “This project could undo everything we’ve worked for.” With the detention center slated to open in days, environmental groups are hoping for an emergency injunction to halt construction until a full environmental review is completed.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.
A coalition of environmental advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday aimed at halting the construction of Alligator Alcatraz, a massive new immigrant detention and deportation center in the heart of the Florida Everglades. The facility is scheduled to open Monday at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
Alligator Alcatraz will hold up to 5,000 illegal immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda.
The lawsuit, filed by Friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice, and the Center for Biological Diversity, claims the federal government violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental review before approving the facility. NEPA mandates such reviews for major federal projects to assess potential harm to ecosystems.
“It’s the law. You don’t undertake a massive project like this without conducting an environmental review,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney at Earthjustice. “Once you destroy an ecosystem, it is very hard, if not impossible, to come back from it.”
The plaintiffs are asking the court to pause construction and compel federal agencies to conduct a full environmental study and provide a public comment period.
“This case is about making sure that we can put a pause on those activities,” said Elise Bennett, another environmental attorney involved in the suit. “And [that] a court can order those agencies to go and actually look at the environmental consequences of the project.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the lawsuit as a political stunt.
“They are trying to use the Everglades as a pretext for the fact that they oppose immigration enforcement,” DeSantis said. “Let’s be clear. That’s where you are on the far left now — they don’t want the laws enforced at all.”
Environmentalists argue the issue transcends politics, warning the project threatens one of the nation’s most critical ecosystems. The Everglades provide essential drinking water to millions and serve as a sanctuary for endangered species, including the iconic Florida panther.
“A place that is really special to the state is essential to our drinking water supply and to species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world,” Galloni said.
This is not the first time the Dade-Collier site has sparked environmental concerns. In the 1970s, the same location was proposed as the site for what would have been the world’s largest airport. That project was ultimately canceled due to environmental opposition, though one runway was built and is currently used for pilot training.
Environmentalists now argue that repurposing the site for a detention center would vastly expand its footprint and pose new threats to wetlands and wildlife.
“It’s a completely different use to transform it from a limited training facility to a mass detention center,” Galloni said. “Completely different environmental impacts and a much huger footprint than anything that’s ever been there before.”
Critics of the detention center also point to the federal and state investment — over $20 billion — spent over the past several decades to restore and protect the Everglades. They argue that building the facility would undermine decades of progress.
“We’re extremely concerned about impacts to wetlands,” said Eve Samples. “This project could undo everything we’ve worked for.”
With the detention center slated to open in days, environmental groups are hoping for an emergency injunction to halt construction until a full environmental review is completed.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.