Florida Governor Ron DeSantis celebrates the appellate court’s decision, allowing operations to resume at the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” facility and continuing the state’s “immigration enforcement” mission.
In a move lauded by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a federal appeals court panel has blocked a lower court judge’s ruling that had ordered the shutdown of the controversial immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, widely known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
DeSantis framed the decision as a victory against a “leftist” judge who, he claimed, had attempted to impede Florida’s immigration enforcement efforts.
The three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay on the preliminary injunction issued on August 7 by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams.
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Williams’ order had temporarily halted further construction at the facility and prohibited new detainees from being housed there, citing environmental concerns. This ruling had prompted the transfer of some detainees to other facilities.
DeSantis expressed his satisfaction on Thursday, stating, “The mission continues on immigration enforcement. The media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was ‘shutting down.’ Now we told them that that wasn’t true… they ran with the narrative because some leftist judge ruled implausibly that somehow Florida wasn’t allowed to use our own property to help the federal government in this important mission because they didn’t do an environmental impact statement.”
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The governor concluded his remarks by gleefully announcing, “I’m pleased to say that the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has just stayed that ruling and stayed the case. So Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we always said, open for business.”
The appellate judges’ ruling explicitly stated, “After careful consideration, we grant the defendants’ motions and we stay the preliminary injunction and the underlying case itself pending appeal.”
The detention center is located on an abandoned airfield in the remote Florida Everglades, a location intentionally chosen for its difficulty to escape. Republican Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the idea for the facility in June and quickly gained the support of the administration. The case will now proceed with an appeal of Judge Williams’ original order.
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