Nonprofit sues US government over construction of new 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention facility: 'America's worst idea'

A Florida nonprofit is resuming its fight to protect an ecologically sensitive area slated for a federal detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz." 

More than 50 years ago, Friends of the Everglades succeeded in blocking the construction of an airport in the Everglades. Today, the organization is joining forces with the Center for Biological Diversity to halt the development of the mass detention and deportation facility in the same location, calling it "America's worst idea" and urging the public to contact their representatives.

"Now, history is repeating itself as Friends once again must act to prevent destructive development in the heart of the Everglades ecosystem in the same location," the environmental group wrote in a lawsuit filed June 27 against state and federal officials. 

"Just as Friends did in the 1960s to stop the ill-conceived Jetport, Friends now finds itself in a familiar fight — resisting renewed threats to the Everglades."

The suit names Miami-Dade County, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, and Executive Director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie as the defendants. 

The Everglades are a biodiverse ecosystem that supports Florida's $1.2 billion fishing industry, provides drinking water to millions, helps protect communities from the impacts of extreme weather, and generates tourism revenue, as the National Wildlife Federation notes.

They also act as a carbon sink, helping to regulate global temperatures by absorbing heat-trapping emissions. 

And while the Everglades alligators have garnered headlines as dangerous reptiles — with the Trump administration and Florida officials citing this as one of the reasons why the Greater Everglades and Big Cypress Area serve as an ideal location for the federal facility, as the New York Times notes — they also play a crucial role in protecting the health of the ecosystem.  

The lawsuit argues that if the construction of the facility proceeds as planned, it will negatively impact air and water quality, as well as recreational opportunities in Big Cypress National Preserve, and that the Everglades and its creatures would suffer significant harm. 

It also says the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act, as it kicked off without any environmental review and didn't account for other federal statutes, like the Endangered Species Act, or state land-use laws. The suit notes that the public also didn't receive an opportunity to make their voices heard on the matter.  

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The nonprofits are asking the court to stop efforts to convert the site into the federal facility until the defendants comply with relevant federal and state laws, including the environmental review process. 

As of July 17, the case was still making its way through the legal system.

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