Immigration

For a student from Myanmar who was accepted to USF, Trump's travel ban means he can't come.

Federal officials are complying with a judge’s order and have stopped sending immigrants to a detention center in the Everglades, less than two months after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration launched the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” in support of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction halting further expansion of an immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” as it winds down its operations in 60 days to comply with environmental laws. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe argue the project violates environmental laws and threatens sensitive wetlands. The center, built almost two months ago, currently holds several hundred detainees but could expand to 3,000. The lawsuit claims the state and federal governments failed to comply with environmental regulations.

A federal judge considered whether detainees have been denied their legal rights at a temporary immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades. This is the second lawsuit challenging practices at the facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.” On Monday, civil rights attorneys in Miami asked a judge to ensure detainees have confidential access to their lawyers. They also want the judge to identify an immigration court with jurisdiction over the center. Florida officials dispute claims that attorneys have been unable to meet with clients. Government attorneys said at the start of the hearing that they would designate a Miami-area immigration court for the Everglades detainees.

A line of merchandise sold by the Florida Republican Party with branding for the state's newest immigration deportation facility — Deportation Depot — has been removed from the party's website.Shortly after the new facility was announced, the merchandise was listed for sale at the state GOP's website.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility at a state prison in north Florida, as a federal judge decides the fate of the state's holding center for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." DeSantis announced Thursday that the new facility is to be built at the Baker Correctional Institution, a state prison about 43 miles west of Jacksonville, and is expected to house 1,300 immigration detention beds, though that capacity could be expanded to 2,000, state officials said.

A federal judge is hearing arguments about an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe want to halt the project, claiming it violates environmental laws and threatens sensitive wetlands. The lawsuit in Miami challenges the detention center, built over a month ago on a Miami-Dade County airstrip. A separate lawsuit by civil rights groups argues detainees' rights are being violated. Attorneys for federal and state agencies argue the case was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. The judge has not yet ruled on this argument.

People flooded the Fort Myers City Council meeting Monday night (Aug. 4) to protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 287(g) program. This program requires Fort Myers police to cooperate with ICE agents in apprehending and transporting undocumented people in the city.

For generations, The Miccosukee Tribe have lived and created a connection with the land that now hosts the Immigration Detention Center known as Alligator Alcatraz.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was given the chance to tour the controversial Immigration Detention Center in the heart of The Everglades. She has introduced legislation to defund the facility.