Miami – A Judge from Florida ruled to temporarily stop the operations in “Aligator Alcatraz”, the controversial migrant detention center in the Everglades of Florida, because the construction of the site chose the environmental laws.
American District Judge Kathleen M. Williams made the decision on Thursday after two days of testimony in the Federal Court of Miami.
The audience occurs after the environmental groups demanded in June to stop the installation, which opened in July on an airstrip located in the sensitive wetlands of the Gran National Reserve of Cypress de Ochopee, to operate.
The lawsuit stated that the center was built without compulsory ecological reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Law, without notice or public comments, and the Government did not comply with other state and federal statutes, including the law of endangered species.
The construction of the site, which arose as part of the taking of measures in the immigration of the Trump administration, was protested by the environmental groups and the American natives, since the Everglades are a unique and swampy habitat of the home of endangered species and threatened.
Christopher Mcvoy, an expert in Everglades, environmental scientist and member of the Board of Friends of the Everglades, a non -profit organization of preservation Everglades and one of the parties presented by the demand, testified on Thursday.
He said he visited the site of the Detention Center on June 28, when a commander of the incident showed him and told him that they were paving some areas. McVoy described photos of the area since the construction of the installation began and said: “You are looking at 11 new pavement acres.” He also described an increase in traffic in the area.
Dillon Reio, a professional geologist in Florida who works for SCS engineers who provides development project evaluations, said his evaluation of “Cocodrilo Alcatraz” showed that he lacked “a rainwater cohesive plan for the site”, while warning that the runoff can create pollutants, and “there could be out of place impacts.”
On Wednesday, Eve Samples, the executive director of Friends of the Everglades, testified that more than 40,000 people made presentations on their website to oppose the detention center.
The samples testified that the group is concerned about the possible impacts of the runoff, the industrial style lights that are visible to 15 miles away despite a designation of the dark sky and greater traffic.
“Driving there many times, the increase in traffic is visible. I saw two dead gattors the last time I visited, so definitely a difference in the area,” he told the court.
Jessica Namath, daughter of former NFL star, Joe Namath, who attended, also testified on Wednesday. Namath, also a member of Friends of the Everglades, said the detention center has created light pollution and that the area looks “heartbreaking.”
“Aligator Alcatraz” has faced other legal actions for alleged inhuman conditions and the treatment of detainees.
The conditions were described as horrible by legal and family defenders of immigrant detainees, including units similar to the cage, infestations of mosquitoes and unhealthy conditions. NBC Miami has also reported about the accusations of detainees and relatives of “inhuman conditions”: limited access to showers, spoiled foods and extreme heat.
Last month, civil rights lawyers sought a temporary restriction order against installation, claiming violations of constitutional rights, claiming that detainees have been prevented from meeting with lawyers and are detained without charges.
