US Judge Orders Temporary Halt To New 'Alligator Alcatraz' Construction

A US federal judge ordered a temporary pause on Thursday to further construction of the migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in a case filed by conservation groups.

District Judge Kathleen Williams issued the temporary restraining order in a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity.

The detention center, built on the site of an abandoned airfield in the Big Cypress National Preserve, can continue to house immigration detainees, but the Miami-based judge ordered an immediate two-week halt to new construction while the suit proceeds.

Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity are arguing that the detention center threatens the sensitive Everglades ecosystem and was hastily built without conducting the required environmental impact studies.

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants, visited the center last month, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards.

The name "Alligator Alcatraz" is a reference to Alcatraz Island, the former prison on an island in San Franciso Bay that Trump recently said he wanted to reopen.

The conservation groups that filed the lawsuit welcomed the judge's ruling.

"We're pleased that the judge saw the urgent need to put a pause on additional construction, and we look forward to advancing our ultimate goal of protecting the unique and imperiled Everglades ecosystem from further damage caused by this mass detention facility," Eve Samples, executive director at Friends of the Everglades, said in a statement.

Elise Bennett, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said it was a "relief that the court has stepped in to protect the Everglades' sensitive waters, starry skies and vulnerable creatures from further harm while we continue our case."

"We're ready to press forward and put a stop to this despicable plan for good," Bennett said.

The ruling was also welcomed by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, which joined the case.

"The detention facility threatens land that is not only environmentally sensitive but sacred to our people," tribal chairman Talbert Cypress said. "While this order is temporary, it is an important step in asserting our rights and protecting our homeland."

The detention center is also the subject of a lawsuit filed in another federal court claiming that detainees are not being given access to attorneys and are being held without charges.