Rapid Construction of 'Alligator Alcatraz' Following Swift Invocation of Emergency Authorities by DeSantis
Florida's Rapid Immigration Crackdown:
GOV. DESANTIS MOVES AHEAD WITH SWIFT EVERGLADES DETENTION FACILITY
Tallahassee, FL - Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis is using his emergency powers to speed up the construction of an immigration detention center deep in the Everglades, aiming to house up to 3,000 detained immigrants within a week. This unprecedented move is attracting criticism for its questionable justification and potential environmental impact.
The recent surge in arrivals of Cuban and Haitian migrants by boat in the Florida Keys last year has been cited as the emergency necessitating the rapid detention center. However, the original flood has ended, and the emergency order, which criticizes the Biden administration's response to immigration, has been repeatedly renewed.
"This isn't our first rodeo," DeSantis told Fox News, Touring a makeshift airfield converted into heavy-duty tents and trailers. "Immigration detention is a bit different, but we know logistics."
Environmentalists and local and state elected leaders are growing increasingly unsettled, questioning the legitimacy of the emergency.
"What is the emergency in Florida that we need to build this facility under this time frame?" Sen. Lori Berman, a Boca Raton Democrat, asked on Friday. "We just can't understand."
Sen. Shevrin Jones, a West Park Democrat, is equally critical, stating, "Florida is building a prison camp in the Everglades under the false cover of an emergency."
The idea of the detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," became public knowledge on June 18, just weeks before its anticipated opening. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, a DeSantis appointee, discussed the plans on Fox News, even accompanying a helicopter tour of the site.
Ra Schooley, a former flight instructor and pilot familiar with the airstrip, raised concerns shortly after. He notified environmental leaders, including Eve Samples from Friends of the Everglades, about the facility's construction and the impending shutdown of the nearby airfield for three days. Surprisingly, the state was able to bypass typical procurement fights due to DeSantis' emergency authorization, moving at "turbo-speed."
On June 21, Schooley flew over the area for the last time. The following day, Uthmeier was in Washington, D.C., setting the stage for a massive undertaking to build the facility in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security. Activists, meanwhile, were rallying for a protest on the property set for the same day as a core team of private contractors' meeting on site.
Despite initial resistance from local officials, particularly Collier County, the federal government swiftly approved the project. Trucks carrying portable restrooms, tents, and industrial generators quickly supplied the site, paving the way for constant round-the-clock construction to commence.
In the event of a hurricane, the Division of Emergency Management assures that detainees and staff will be evacuated from the site. The agency is also developing a disaster plan. However, critics argue that the emergency order unnecessarily distracts resources away from Floridians when the next disaster strikes.
Early last year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott used similar emergency powers to seize control of an Eagle Pass border city park, transforming it into a staging area for immigration enforcement. DeSantis' emergency order mirrors Texas' extended disaster proclamation over the border, with the difference being that Florida's order targets immigrants with criminal records. The White House confirms that U.S. Border Patrol "didn't release a single illegal into the U.S." in May, indicating an ongoing crackdown on immigration.
Without an explicit disaster to address, there's no hard and fast rule for when a "state of emergency" over immigration should expire. However, emergency response laws are intended to provide leaders the flexibility needed to act swiftly and keep citizens safe, raising questions about the extent to which DeSantis is stretching these laws in this instance.
In Florida, executive orders can be challenged through the courts, as seen in the case where a group of parents contested a DeSantis executive order that stopped school mask mandates. Environmental advocacy groups have also filed a lawsuit challenging the new detention center for failing to undergo procedural review.
Immigration Enforcement Background:- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) aims to arrest and detain up to 5,000 immigrants who are arrested by state officers or held by federal immigration authorities.- Florida officials are using emergency powers to construct the detention centers rapidly, resorting to repurposing abandoned facilities in the Everglades—nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz"—to quickly provide large-scale detention capacity.- The facilities aim to hold immigrants detained under the 287(g) program, which empowers local and state law enforcement to assist in federal immigration enforcement and detain immigrants for deportation.- The use of FEMA’s shelter and services program funds is being leveraged to finance this immigration detention capacity.
The construction of an immigration detention center in the Everglades, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," has sparked heated debates among environmentalists, local politicians, and the general public, with concerns over the legitimacy of the emergency justification and potential environmental impacts. Political figures such as Sen. Lori Berman and Sen. Shevrin Jones have expressed dismay, questioning the necessity of expediting the project amidst derailing resources from Floridians during possible disasters. Critics also argue that the escalating immigration crackdown, led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, may breach environmental regulations, similar to Texas's seizure of a border city park for immigration enforcement last year, which faced court challenges from environmental advocacy groups.
