An American federal judge on Thursday ordered the dismantling within 60 days of the Migratory Detention Center of Aligator Alcatraz (Alcatraz de los Caimanes) West of Miami, in addition to preventing the entry of new migrants, after considering a demand for environmental groups.
Judge Kathleen Williams of the Southern District of Florida partially failed in favor of the Friends of the Everglades and Center for Biological Diversity, in addition to the Miccosukee tribe, which demanded the complete and immediate closure of the place by their place by their Damage to the Natural Area of the Everglades.
The order prohibits installing any additional infrastructure such as tents, bedrooms, buildings or offices, as well as paving, excavating or fence the site, Open on July 3 at an airport that was abandoned After a visit from the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
It also prevents “bringing any additional people to the site who were no longer detained at the site at the time of order”, although It does not prohibit modifying or repairing existing infrastructure.
After 60 days, the authorities must remove the fence to allow the passage of the Miccosukee tribe, an indigenous people that belong to the area, remove the industrial lighting of the place, and remove the gas, drainage and waste facilities of the project promoted by the governor of Florida, the Republican Ron Desantis.
This demand seeks to stop the center for environmental reasons, with a Current capacity for 2,000 people who expected to grow to 4,000according to the Florida Emergency Management Division (DEM), for being built in a natural area with 36 endemic species threatened such as panthers, storks, caimanes, and crocodiles.
“This is an emblematic victory for Everglades and countless Americans who believe that endangered species should be protected, not exploited,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades, in a pronouncement.
The order was anticipated from the morning, when Democratic congressman Maxwell Frost, representative of Orlando, said they only remain 336 migrants in the center After touring it, a third of the amount that had been weeks ago.
“It seems that the same state understands that they could order to close this, either this week, next week or in the future. There are only 336 people there at the moment. The last time I came there was almost 1,000,” Frost said in a video.
This is a demand other than the one in which, for migratory reasons, defenders led by the US union for civil liberties (ACLU) that represent migrants arrested for complaints of human rights violations.
Despite the ruling, the judicial battle is expected to continue, since Governor Desantis and the Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, have questioned the legitimacy of the judge, nominated by the former Democratic President Barack Obama (2009-2017), so he had promised to fight the possible failures before.
