A federal judge in Miami late on Thursday ordered the closure of the Trump administration’s notorious “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail within 60 days, and ruled that no more detainees were to be brought to the facility while it was being wound down.
The shock ruling by district court judge Kathleen Williams builds on a temporary restraining order she issued two weeks ago halting further construction work at the remote tented camp, which has attracted waves of criticism for harsh conditions, abuse of detainees and denial of due process as they await deportation.
In her 82-page order, published in the US district court’s southern district of Florida on Friday, Williams determined the facility was causing severe and irreparable damage to the fragile Florida Everglades.
I appreciate the result and call this a win–assumimg it sticks. “You can’t violate human rights like this, it is harming the environment,” will make for some nasty talking points.
It’s a win when it’s closed, which I’ll believe when I see. I think this is going to be a trumps Guantánamo Bay.
In an ideal world, the camp would be closed because the inhumane concentration camp is a cruel and unusual punishment, preventing such type of facility being put anywhere.
But I’ll take any reason that gets it closed and the effect on the environment is a valid one given it was constructed with little regard to anything.