In a major, if preliminary, victory for the Miccosukee Tribe and environmental advocates, a federal judge has ruled that Florida's so-called "Alligator Alcatraz" must be shut down.
The ruling, handed down on August 21 by Judge Kathleen Williams, gives the state and federal governments 60 days to relocate detainees from the Everglades-based Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, according to the New York Times. No more detainees may be sent there, and dismantling of much of the facility must begin while further construction has also been prohibited.
"Alligator Alcatraz" has been the focus of considerable concern and controversy. With the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times previously reporting that 700 people had been held there, the ICE detention center has been subject to numerous complaints regarding poor and unsafe conditions.
Meanwhile, this ruling was based on Tribal and environmental concerns. Williams ruled that state and federal governments illegally built the detention center without conducting an environmental review and that the facility posed a threat to those who depend on the Everglades for water, including members of the Miccosukee Tribe.
"This is a landmark victory for the Everglades and countless Americans who believe this imperiled wilderness should be protected, not exploited," Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, said in a statement, per the Times. "It sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders at the highest levels of our government — and there are consequences for ignoring them."
The Everglades is one of the most well-known and important ecological systems in the United States. Covering 2 million acres, the subtropical wetland is home to more than 360 bird species and several endangered animals, including the Florida panther. It also provides drinking water for one-third of Florida residents and irrigation for farmland across the state, making the biodiverse site crucial to food systems and the economy.
But it also faces several threats. The introduction of invasive species has proved devastating to native plants and wildlife. Rising sea levels have caused certain Everglades ecosystems to sequester less carbon than in the past. And many fear that mass construction conducted without the proper review process has the potential to add to these threats.
Although this court ruling is a victory for supporters of the Everglades and all who depend on its natural resources, it's not necessarily a final blow to the ICE detention center. The court battle is expected to continue, the Times reports, with appeals and new hearings likely to follow.
"I know that this is only the first step in the legal process," Tribal lawmaker Pete Osceola Jr. told Grist in the wake of the recent ruling. "I believe that my Tribe is willing to go the distance to preserve our rights and our culture."
It's not the first time that environmental concerns have stymied development in the wetland. Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades in the late 1960s to halt airport construction at the same site. According to Grist, her organization, "along with Earthjustice and the Center for Biological Diversity, sought the injunction alongside the Tribe." As reported by the outlet, Elise Bennett of the Center for Biological Diversity said at a press conference following Williams' ruling, "Our well-being is intertwined."
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