>> GULF COAST NEWS AT 11 ON ABC. >> TAKING ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ TO COURT RIGHT NOW. ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS ARE SUING TO TRY TO STOP THIS IMMIGRANT DETENTION CENTER DAYS BEFORE IT OPENS. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING FOR YOUR NEWS AT 11. I’M MEAGAN MILLER. THE SITE SET TO HOLD THOUSANDS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IS PLANNED TO OPEN RIGHT HERE NEXT WEEK AT THE COLLIER, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY LINE TONIGHT, ONLY MADISON ADAMS IS SPEAKING TO THE GROUPS BEHIND THIS LAST DITCH EFFORT TO STOP THE SITE FROM EVEN STARTING MADISON. >> TODAY, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS FILED A FEDERAL LAWSUIT TO STOP CONSTRUCTION OF A MASSIVE DETENTION AND DEPORTATION CENTER. NICKNAMED ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ IS SET TO OPEN ON MONDAY AT THE DADE COLLIER TRAINING AND TRANSITION AIRPORT. A REMOTE AIRSTRIP DEEP IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES. POLITICIANS SAY IT WILL HOUSE UP TO 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CARRYING OUT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION AGENDA. BUT NOW FEMA, DHS, ICE AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY ARE BEING SUED BY ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TRYING TO STOP IT. THEY’RE TRYING TO USE THE EVERGLADES AS A PRETEXT. >> JUST FOR THE FACT THAT THEY OPPOSE IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT. I MEAN, LET’S BE CLEAR, LIKE THAT’S WHERE YOU ARE ON THE FAR LEFT NOW. THEY DON’T WANT THE LAWS ENFORCED AT ALL. THE LAWSUIT CLAIMS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BROKE THE LAW BY SKIPPING AN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW REQUIRED BY THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT. IT’S THE LAW YOU DON’T UNDERTAKE A MASSIVE PROJECT LIKE THIS. >> WITH OUT CONDUCTING AN ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW. >> CONGRESS MADE THAT DECISION. COURT CAN ORDER THOSE AGENCIES TO GO AND ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE PROJECT AND ALSO TO OFFER A PUBLIC PROCESS FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT. THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS SITE HAS MADE HEADLINES BACK IN THE 1970’S, THE SAME SPOT WAS SUPPOSED TO BECOME THE WORLD’S LARGEST AIRPORT CANCELED BECAUSE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS. ONLY ONE RUNWAY WAS BUILT, WHICH IS NOW USED FOR PILOT TRAINING. THE REASON THAT YOU ONLY HAVE ONE IS BECAUSE >> FRIENDS OF THE EVERGLADES, MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS, THOUSANDS OF FLORIDIANS BANDED TOGETHER TO STOP DEVELOPMENT AND TO PROTECT THIS AREA. FEMA PLANS TO SPEND 450 MIION DOLLARS A YEAR AT THE NEW DETENTION CENTER. BUT ENVIROENTALISTS WARN THAT THE REAL COST WILL BE TO THE EVERGLADES AND ENDANGERED WILDLIFE THAT CALL IT HOME OR PLACE. IT IS REALLY SPECIAL TO THE STATE’S ESSENTIAL DRINKING WATER SUPPLY AND 2 SPECIES THAT ARE FOUND ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD LIKE THE FLORIDA PANTHERS. >> THE GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT OVER 20 BILLION DOLLARS TO PROTECT FLORIDA’S EVERGLADES ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TOLD ME THAT ALLIGATO

Advertisement Environmental groups sue to stop ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center in the Everglades Editorial Standards ⓘ

A coalition of environmental advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit Friday aimed at halting the construction of Alligator Alcatraz, a massive new immigrant detention and deportation center in the heart of the Florida Everglades. The facility is scheduled to open Monday at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport.Alligator Alcatraz will hold up to 5,000 illegal immigrants as part of President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda.The lawsuit, filed by Friends of the Everglades, Earthjustice, and the Center for Biological Diversity, claims the federal government violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental review before approving the facility. NEPA mandates such reviews for major federal projects to assess potential harm to ecosystems. “It’s the law. You don’t undertake a massive project like this without conducting an environmental review,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney at Earthjustice. “Once you destroy an ecosystem, it is very hard, if not impossible, to come back from it.”The plaintiffs are asking the court to pause construction and compel federal agencies to conduct a full environmental study and provide a public comment period.“This case is about making sure that we can put a pause on those activities,” said Elise Bennett, another environmental attorney involved in the suit. “And a court can order those agencies to go and actually look at the environmental consequences of the project.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed the lawsuit as a political stunt.“They are trying to use the Everglades as a pretext for the fact that they oppose immigration enforcement,” DeSantis said. “Let’s be clear. That’s where you are on the far left now — they don’t want the laws enforced at all.”Environmentalists argue the issue transcends politics, warning the project threatens one of the nation’s most critical ecosystems. The Everglades provide essential drinking water to millions and serve as a sanctuary for endangered species, including the iconic Florida panther.“A place that is really special to the state is essential to our drinking water supply and to species that aren’t found anywhere else in the world,” Galloni said. This is not the first time the Dade-Collier site has sparked environmental concerns. In the 1970s, the same location was proposed as the site for what would have been the world’s largest airport. That project was ultimately canceled due to environmental opposition, though one runway was built and is currently used for pilot training.Environmentalists now argue that repurposing the site for a detention center would vastly expand its footprint and pose new threats to wetlands and wildlife.“It’s a completely different use to transform it from a limited training facility to a mass detention center,” Galloni said. “Completely different environmental impacts and a much huger footprint than anything that’s ever been there before.” Critics of the detention center also point to the federal and state investment — over $20 billion — spent over the past several decades to restore and protect the Everglades. They argue that building the facility would undermine decades of progress.“We’re extremely concerned about impacts to wetlands,” said Eve Samples. “This project could undo everything we’ve worked for.” With the detention center slated to open in days, environmental groups are hoping for an emergency injunction to halt construction until a full environmental review is completed.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.