Florida Everglades

Five lawmakers filed the lawsuit in July after they made an unannounced visit to the facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz” but were denied access.

Attorneys for the detainees are seeking a preliminary injunction to improve communication with their clients. They claim current practices make it difficult to meet before key deadlines.

The co-author of a new paper says the presence of PFAS on the Everglades reservation of the Miccosukee Tribe suggests more restoration may be necessary in the river of grass.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams previously ordered the facility to wind down operations, but that injunction was put on hold by an appellate court panel.

Federal officials confirmed that a $608 million reimbursement had been approved for the center earlier this month.

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has called on the Interior Department to close national parks down until Congress agrees on a deal to fund the government.

The handbook submitted last week by the state of Florida in the separate legal-access lawsuit suggests that detainees are warned that guards would enforce strict rules on dress, hygiene and behavior.

The filings say detainees are often transferred just before scheduled lawyer visits, denying them legal representation.

The three-judge panel in Atlanta on Thursday decided by a 2-1 vote to stay the federal judge’s order pending the outcome of an appeal. The judges in the majority said it was in the public interest.

The legal rights lawsuit claims detainees have been denied the right to meet privately with their attorneys.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official confirmed in an email Friday that the agency is "complying with (the judge's) order and moving detainees to other facilities."

The Republican attorneys general echoed arguments by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and President Donald Trump’s administration that the National Environmental Policy Act does not apply to the detention center.