Federal officials on Friday confirmed that Florida has been reimbursed $608 million for the costs of building and running an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, exposing Alligator Alcatraz to the risk of being ordered to close for a second time.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated in an email that the state of Florida was awarded its full reimbursement request.
However, this reimbursement exposes the state of Florida to the possibility of having to cease operations at the facility again due to a federal judge’s injunction issued in August. The Miami judge sided with environmental groups who argued that the site did not undergo a proper environmental review before its transformation into an immigration detention facility, compelling Florida to wind down operations within two months.
Yet, an appellate court panel in Atlanta has temporarily stayed the judge’s injunction, declaring that the facility did not necessitate an environmental impact study since Florida had yet to receive federal funds for its construction.
“If the federal defendants ultimately decide to approve that request and reimburse Florida for its expenditures related to the facility, they may need to first conduct an EIS (environmental impact statement),” the three-judge appellate court panel indicated last month.
The appellate panel's decision allows the detention center to remain operational and halts steps to dismantle its operations.
President Donald Trump visited the facility in July and hinted that it could serve as a model for similar establishments across the nation, aligning with his administration's agenda to expand deportation infrastructure.
Environmental groups that filed lawsuits against federal and state authorities asserted that the confirmation of the reimbursement solidifies that the Florida-built facility is inherently a federal project. Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity, stated, “This is a federal project being built with federal funds that’s required by federal law to undergo a complete environmental review. We’ll do everything we can to stop this lawless, destructive, and wasteful debacle.”
