US appeals court temporarily halts judge’s order to shut down 'Alligator Alcatraz'

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - A US federal appeals court has temporarily halted a judge’s order directing Florida and the federal government to close and dismantle a controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades, commonly known as Alligator Alcatraz.

The site is controversial due to its rushed construction in a protected wetland without environmental review, reports of unsafe and inhumane conditions for detainees, and criticism over the lack of transparency and oversight in its development.

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday approved requests from Florida and the US Department of Homeland Security to pause a district court’s preliminary injunction, which had ordered the site to wind down within 60 days, according to media reports.

A three-judge panel in Atlanta ruled 2-1 to block the federal judge’s order while the appeal is pending, saying the decision was in public interest.

This follows US District Judge Kathleen Williams issuing a preliminary injunction requiring operations to cease by October. Williams also ordered that detainees be relocated to other facilities and that equipment and fencing be removed.