Court orders closure of 'Alligator Alcatraz' in 'setback for Trump'
On Thursday, August 21, a Florida state judge ordered the dismantling of the migrant detention center located in the heart of the Everglades, arguing that the facility did not meet environmental standards. The decision was contested by the Trump administration, which risks losing one of the hallmarks of its repressive immigration policy.
Is the end near for “Alligator Alcatraz,” the immigration detention center located at a disused airport in the heart of Everglades National Park in Florida?
On Thursday, August 21, a state judge gave the U.S. administration 60 days to “remove all major facilities from the site, including fencing, lighting, power generators, and sewage disposal systems,” reports The Wall Street Journal . The order also prohibits any new construction on the site, as well as the transfer of new inmates to the prison.
The court ruling follows a complaint filed in June by two associations accusing the government of not having carried out "the required environmental impact study" and of having "ignored other legal obligations," the American daily adds.
The complaint was joined by the Miccosukee Native American tribe of Florida, who believed that “the discharges from the center risked polluting their territory, located a few kilometers downstream, and threatened plants used for ceremonial and medicinal purposes.”
In response to the accusations, the federal government explained that “the environmental assessment only applied
Courrier International
