COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A third federal lawsuit has been filed surrounding the temporary makeshift detention center dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’
On the heels of a federal judge ordering the everglades detention center wind down operations within 60 days, a new lawsuit was filed Friday on behalf of a detainee with the initials M.A. who’s lived in the United States since 2018 and is married to a US citizen.
That detainee has been at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ since July 26.
When they arrived, that detainee was able to walk, but they are now wheelchair bound after being hospitalized twice since then.
The complaint argues the state does not have the legal authority to create, operate and staff the facility, saying immigration detention processes and operations at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ are not being followed.
It states, “by ignoring these standards, Florida has created the kind of disaster that Congress took pains to avoid.”
The suit goes on to claim that the 90% of the staff hired by the state is illegitimate, stating, “The contractor that operates the facility, does not even have a 287(g) agreement with DHS, which means that none of its employees are deputized to perform any immigration functions. FDEM is not a law enforcement agency and therefore none of its employees may be deputized under Section 1357(g).”
It also argues that detainees are being held without being charged, or removed from the country, stating detainees are not appearing on an online ICE detainee locator, “Which means they are effectively “off the grid” of the immigration tracking system. As a result, their attorneys and family members often do not know where they are or how to contact them.”
The suit calls for a temporary restraining order barring detainees from being placed at the facility, nd declaring the state has a lack of authority under federal law to detain civil immigration detainees at the facility.
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