MIAMI — A federal judge on Tuesday heard testimony from a state witness as Florida aims to defend placing its “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in the Everglades despite environmental concerns from advocacy and tribal groups.
Florida is facing a lawsuit arguing that “Alligator Alcatraz” should have to temporarily shut down because the state and federal government failed to follow federal environmental law when it quickly built a tented detention facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. The airstrip housing the detention center is surrounded by the federally protected Big Cypress National Preserve, a fragile ecosystem that’s home to endangered species.
One of the state’s main arguments is that the environmental law in question, the National Environmental Policy Act, doesn’t apply, given that “Alligator Alcatraz” was constructed and is run by the state, not federal, government.
The only witness the state brought up Tuesday was David Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Jesse Panuccio, the attorney representing Florida’s emergency management director Kevin Guthrie, asked several questions aimed at showing “Alligator Alcatraz” is a state operation.
