ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Federal and Florida state officials must turn over the agreements showing which government agency or private contractor has the legal authority to detain people or carry out immigration enforcement duties at the so‑called Alligator Alcatraz, the immigrant-detention facility in the Everglades, a federal judge said on Monday.
Officials must provide by Thursday all written agreements and contracts demonstrating who holds legal custody over the hundreds detained at the facility — which was hastily built a little over a month ago on a remote airstrip in South Florida’s Everglades — according to Judge Rodolfo Ruiz, the federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump.
Ruiz’s order is part of a civil rights lawsuit filed by immigration attorneys against both state and federal governments, contending that the detainees’ constitutional rights are being violated. The suit notes that detainees are barred from meeting with attorneys, are being held without charges, and an immigration court has canceled bond hearings.
Clarifying who has authority over the detention center has been a source of confusion since the facility began operating in early July.
The federal government and the Florida government had asked that any disclosures be limited to agreements between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and three Florida agencies: the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida National Guard, and the Florida Department of Safety.
The detainees’ lawyers had sought documents showing who was responsible for deportation procedures, as well as information on the number of staff at the facility, but Ruiz said those requests were too broad.
The suit is the second challenging the operation of the “Alligator Alcatraz.” Environmental groups have accused federal and state officials of moving forward with the project without complying with state and federal environmental laws. A hearing on that suit is scheduled for Wednesday.
Separately, the Archdiocese of Miami said Saturday that the first Mass at the detention center had been held after weeks of negotiations.
“I am pleased that our request to provide pastoral care for the detainees has been attended to,” Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said in a statement on Monday.
