Reasons behind judge’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ closure as Team Trump bites back over ICE center

A federal judge has ruled that neither the federal nor Florida state government carried out an environmental review before building the ICE detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz”, setting out measures that cast serious doubt on its continued operation.

Why Alligator Alcatraz is to be stopped

The New York Times reported that Judge Kathleen M. Williams ordered that no additional undocumented immigrants be sent to the facility run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, located in the Florida Everglades. She also decreed that much of the site must be dismantled.

Williams gave federal and state authorities 60 days to remove fencing, lighting, generators and other materials, raising questions over how the center could function without them. The ruling also bans any new construction at the site. The decision is preliminary, as litigation in the case remains ongoing.

Beyond the lack of an environmental review before construction in the Everglades, the detention center has also drawn widespread attention over reports of poor conditions and violations of detainees’ rights, including difficulties in contacting lawyers.

DHS denies inhumane conditions at Alcatraz

Several US outlets have reported that people were being held in cages, with scarce food, unsanitary meals, extreme temperatures, broken toilets, infestations of insects, and limited access to showers or toothbrushes – as well as restricted, non-confidential communication with attorneys and family members.

In response to mounting reports of mistreatment, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pushed back, claiming that the media was “desperate for allegations of inhumane conditions in these facilities to be true.”

“There is no sewage overflowing from toilets. No one has died. The incinerators are not being used for nefarious purposes. This kind of smear campaign directly contributes to our ICE officers facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against them,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.

“These are the facts: Alligator Alcatraz meets federal detention standards. All facilities are clean. Any claims of inhumane conditions are FALSE. When will the media stop spreading hoaxes about immigrant detention centers and start focusing on the American victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants?” she added.

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