ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Federal and state officials have come under fire for allegedly withholding evidence showing that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some costs associated with the construction of an immigration detention center in the Everglades, often referred to as 'Alligator Alcatraz.'
This facility remains operational, continuing to detain individuals despite a court ruling against its environmental compliance, largely based on claims from state and former Trump administration officials asserting that Florida had not applied for federal reimbursement.
Recent emails and documents, obtained via public records requests by environmental groups, disclosed that discussions regarding federal reimbursement had occurred as early as June, confirming that Florida had submitted a grant application to FEMA. By late September, it was announced that FEMA approved $608 million in funding to support the facility's construction and operations.
Attorney Tania Galloni, representing the environmental advocacy groups, stated, 'We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court.'
An appellate panel in Atlanta has temporarily paused a lower court's order to shut down the facility, which will now have to consider the newly revealed evidence in determining the center's fate.
In mid-August, a Miami federal judge ordered the facility to wind down operations due to the lack of a required environmental impact review, indicating that reimbursement decisions had been finalized prior to the court's ruling.
Florida has emerged as a leader among states constructing facilities related to former President Trump's immigration policies. In addition to the Everglades facility, Florida has opened another detention center in the northeast and is contemplating a third location in the Panhandle.
