Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A federal judge on Thursday rejected a request for a preliminary injunction to close an immigration detention center Florida Everglades was dubbed the “Alligator Alcatraz”, saying that a detainee seeking the order had not demonstrated that he was suffering irreparable harm in the facility.
U.S. District Judge Kyle Dudek said the detainee, known as MA in court papers, has not met the high burden required for a preliminary injunction, while his challenge to the facility is being litigated in federal court. fort myersFlorida.
Dudek, who was nominated by the President, said, “Although Alligator Alcatraz may indeed have deficiencies that ultimately justify its dismantling, Plaintiff has not made the extraordinary demonstration necessary to justify such large immediate relief.” donald trump,
MA’s lawsuit is one of three federal lawsuits challenging practices at the immigration detention center, which was built this summer on a remote airstrip in the Florida Everglades by the Republican administration. Ron DeSantis,
Their lawsuit claims that immigration is a federal issue, and Florida agencies and state-appointed private contractors have no authority to operate the facility under federal law. prisoners The lawsuit says those who enter the facility disappear from the general detainee tracking system and have difficulty obtaining legal assistance.
In its request for preliminary injunction MA said, “The law requires federal control over all delegated enforcement activities. Yet Florida claims it has complete control over detention decisions.”
The judge said he was proceeding cautiously in denying the request because “Plaintiff is essentially asking this court to close down a large and expensive detention facility, before any decision on the merits of its legality is made.”
In a separate case, a federal judge in Miami last summer ordered the facility to cease operations in two months because officials failed to review the environmental impact of the detention center. But an appellate court panel put that decision on hold for a while, allowing the facility to remain open.
In the third lawsuit, detainees were seeking a ruling that would ensure they would have access to confidential communications with their lawyers. He claimed that detainees’ lawyers have to make appointments three days in advance to meet them, unlike other detention facilities where lawyers can only be present during visiting hours; Detainees were often transferred to other facilities after their lawyers made appointments to meet with them; And schedule delays were so long that detainees were unable to meet with lawyers before key deadlines.
A federal judge in that case ordered attorneys for the detainees and attorneys for the state and federal government defendants to meet Tuesday in an effort to resolve the case. But they informed the court on Wednesday that they were unable to reach a solution despite nine hours of talks.
,
Follow Mike Schneider on Bluesky social platforms: @mikeydis.bsky.social