The immigration detention center in the Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," was built in eight days. Now, less than a year in operation, the New York Times reports the facility might close.
According to the newspaper, talks between the state and the Trump administration to close the detention center have started. Officials told the Times shutdown talks are in the early stages, but the Department of Homeland Security said it costs too much money to continue operating.
Public records shared with WUSF show the state created a yearly cost breakdown for the facility. The state prepared the breakdown for the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the grant decision process. The state was granted the award, but the money was never released.
The federal government has not contributed money to pay for the facility.
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Environmental groups like the Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Everglades are suing the state and federal government to shut down the center. They filed suit before it opened, seeking to stop operations and alleging violations of state and federal laws during construction. The Miccosukee Tribe of Florida joined the complaint weeks later.
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Following reports of the closure, attorneys said they'll keep fighting to see the case through.
“This destructive detention camp in the middle of the Everglades should have never been built, but I’m glad it may finally shut down. Until it does, we’re going to fight on in district court with everything we’ve got,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
“This destructive and pointless project has harmed some of Florida’s most vulnerable plants and animals and upended the lives of too many people. To even begin to set things right for Big Cypress and the Everglades, we'll spare no effort to shut the facility down and restore the site so nothing like this disaster ever happens again,” she added.
Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said the "dark chapter in Everglades history can't end soon enough."
"Until then, we’re not taking our foot off the gas — we’re headed back to federal district court with more strong claims to bring," Samples said. "The only acceptable remedy is shutting down Alligator Alcatraz and full remediation of the harm inflicted.”
As the lawsuit to close "Alligator Alcatraz" continues to move through the courts, the detention center remains open and operational.
