A federal judge is expected to rule next week on whether to extend a temporary pause on new construction at the site of a large immigration detention facility that was quickly built in the Florida Everglades in late July.
WATCH BELOW: 'Having seen the impacts already, it is hard to imagine that this won't be harmful,' Eve Samples tells WPTV
This week, significant witnesses representing the state of Florida submitted declarations to defend the Florida Department of Emergency Management’s (FDEM) conduct in building and operating the facility.
The declaration filed by Ian Gadea-Guidicelli, who serves as both the state emergency response team chief and bureau chief of response at FDEM, claims that the center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” is being managed in a manner that "does not inadvertently harm the surrounding environment."
To reinforce their position, the state defendants submitted flight logs indicating that the airstrip where "Alligator Alcatraz" was built was previously utilized for dozens of flights daily, with the operation of the detention center reportedly decreasing air traffic by 98%.
The filings also included a preliminary ecological assessment, which found no immediate direct impacts on protected species in the vicinity. However, the assessment recommended further investigation for certain species and raised concerns that light and sound pollution from the detention center could have indirect adverse effects.
“Because the state and federal government didn't do their job and assess the impacts before they built it, we have assessed the impacts as well as we could without having access to the site-- which we did request and were denied," said Eve Samples, the executive director of friends of the Everglades, the organization that is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. “Having seen the impacts already, it is hard to imagine that this won't be harmful-- that this could be done in any way that would not harm the Everglades."
Last week, the judge issued a two-week pause on any new construction at Alligator Alcatraz. With one week left on that temporary injunction, a ruling is expected next Thursday on whether this halt will continue throughout the course of the case.
“FDEM does now know whether FEMA will reimburse state funding used for the facility, how much funding FEMA may provide, or how long it will take FEMA to issue reimbursement,” Gadea-Guidicelli stated in his declaration.
Florida state officials have previously said publicly that FEMA will pay the state back for "Alligator Alcatraz," which is the first state-run immigration facility in the United States.
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