Lawsuit segment dropped concerning the 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention facility, as per judge's ruling
The lawsuit challenging the operation of the Florida Everglades immigration detention center, colloquially known as "Alligator Alcatraz," is currently in a state of transition.
In a recent development, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz partially dismissed claims that detainees were denied access to immigration court hearings. This decision came after the Trump administration designated the Krome North Processing Center near Miami as the new location for detainees' cases to be heard [1][3][5].
However, the broader lawsuit, which alleges that Florida lacks the legal authority to run the detention center and that state officers working there lack the federally required training for immigration enforcement, continues [1][2][3][5]. This lawsuit has raised concerns about severe due process violations, such as detainees being held without charges, lacking bond hearings, and being denied meaningful access to attorneys and immigration courts [1][2][3][5].
The plaintiffs, which include immigrant rights advocates and detainees, argue that these violations constitute grave Fifth Amendment and First Amendment concerns [1][2][3][5].
In a separate development, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a 14-day halt on additional construction at the Everglades detention center [6]. Witnesses testified at a hearing that wrapped up last week regarding the construction halt at the facility [7].
The lawsuit is now set to be handled in the Middle District of Florida instead of the Southern District, due to the facility’s location. This decision was made as a result of arguments from both sides in a hearing earlier this week in Miami, where civil rights attorneys sought a preliminary injunction to ensure detainees had access to their lawyers and could get a hearing [4].
The second lawsuit regarding the Everglades detention center involves environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe [8].
Among the allegations against the detention center are claims of delays in scheduling meetings between detainees and their attorneys, an inability for detainees to talk privately with their attorneys by phone or videoconference, issues with food quality, toilet functionality, flooding, and infestations of insects, and accusations of officers pressuring detainees into signing voluntary removal orders before consulting their attorneys [1][2][3][5].
The circumstances at the Everglades detention center have fueled a feeling of desperation among detainees [9]. Some detainees have been deported without final removal orders at the facility [10].
The Trump administration's designation of the Krome North Processing Center as a site for the cases of detainees to be heard has not yet addressed these broader constitutional and jurisdictional challenges, which remain under judicial review [1][3][5].
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/us/politics/florida-immigration-detention-center.html [2] https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article247455389.html [3] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/23/florida-immigration-detention-center-alligator-alcatraz-lawsuit/4545418001/ [4] https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/us/florida-immigration-detention-center-lawsuit-miami-hearing/index.html [5] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawsuit-seeks-stop-construction-florida-immigration-detention-center-n1259261 [6] https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/22/us/florida-immigration-detention-center-lawsuit-miami-hearing/index.html [7] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/23/florida-immigration-detention-center-alligator-alcatraz-lawsuit/4545418001/ [8] https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article247455389.html [9] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/23/us/politics/florida-immigration-detention-center.html [10] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/23/florida-immigration-detention-center-alligator-alcatraz-lawsuit/4545418001/
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