Environmental groups sue to block 'Alligator Alcatraz'

A coalition of environmental groups on Friday sued over the Trump administration's plans to build a detention center in the Everglades that critics have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

The suit seeks to block the Trump administration from building the new facility on a Florida airfield, the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) near Big Cypress National Preserve. 

“This massive detention center will blight one of the most iconic ecosystems in the world,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. 

“This reckless attack on the Everglades — the lifeblood of Florida — risks polluting sensitive waters and turning more endangered Florida panthers into roadkill. It makes no sense to build what’s essentially a new development in the Everglades for any reason, but this reason is particularly despicable.”    

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has cited the remote nature of the area — as well as its proximity to dangerous wildlife — as top features for tapping the area for construction.

"This 30-square mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades. It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter," he said. "If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons."

Environmental groups have argued the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act as well as procedures for rulemaking.

“The decision to construct a mass migrant detention and deportation center at the TNT Site was made without conducting any environmental reviews as required under NEPA, without public notice or comment, and without compliance with other federal statutes such as the Endangered Species Act, or state or local land-use laws,” they wrote in the suit filed in federal court in Florida.

The facility is projected to cost about $450 million per year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration.

The Trump administration is largely envisioning the facility as a series of tents along with the construction of other facilities, hoping to house as many as 5,000 migrants at the facility.