MIAMI — A federal judge on Wednesday heard arguments in a lawsuit against the immigration detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” in which advocacy and tribal groups allege state and federal officials violated environmental laws.
Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida argue federal and state officials did not conduct legally required environmental reviews, examine alternative sites or collect public feedback when they quickly built the tented facility on the airstrip of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.
They allege noise, lights, traffic and other activity from the facility will harm endangered nocturnal species, such as the Florida panther and the Florida bonneted bat. Wildlife ecologist Randy Kautz, a panther expert, predicted the facility would create fewer opportunities for the animals to find prey or mate, and warned higher traffic could result in more deaths from car accidents.
“It’s pretty obvious panthers have been here and have succeeded and prospered here,” he said of the surrounding area, near the federally protected Big Cypress Natural Preserve.
