Judge orders halt to construction at Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
The facility, operated by the state and with its costs reimbursed by the federal government, opened two months ago with the intention of housing undocumented migrants rounded up as part of the president's immigration crackdown.
It is located in the Florida Everglades, something Mr Trump said made it the ideal place to hold the detainees.
Yet, its location near Big Cypress National Preserve was something seized on by environmental activists who filed a lawsuit arguing the site threatens the environmentally sensitive wetlands. They are home to many protected plants and animals.
'We're pleased that the judge saw the urgent need to put a pause on additional construction, and we look forward to advancing our ultimate goal of protecting the unique and imperilled Everglades ecosystem from further damage caused by this mass detention facility,' said Eve Samples, executive director at Friends of the Everglades.
At the hearing in Miami on Thursday, US District Judge Kathleen Williams issued an order halting new construction for the next week but did not suspend operations at the facility.
A spokesperson for Republican Governor Ron DeSantis denounced the ruling but said it 'will have no impact on immigration enforcement in Florida'.
'Alligator Alcatraz will remain operational, continuing to serve as a force multiplier to enhance deportation efforts,' said spokesperson Alex Lanfranconi.
Mr Trump made a crackdown on immigration a centre part of his campaign for a second term in the Oval Office. Polls show his policies on deportations are largely popular, though not some of his most extreme steps, such as the rounding up of farm workers and day labourers.
When Mr Trump visited the site at the beginning of July, he told reporters: 'It's known as Alligator Alcatraz, which is very appropriate because I looked outside and that's not a place I want to go hiking.'
He added: 'But very soon, this facility will house some of the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.'
Mr Trump has also spoken several times of his wish to reopen the original Alcatraz prison, located in the waters off San Francisco and administration officials have toured the facility, which closed as a jail in 1963.
In May, he wrote on Truth Social he was ordering all his staff to work towards reopening the prison to house 'America's most ruthless and violent offenders'.
He added: 'For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Armenians and Azerbaijanis greet US-brokered peace deal with hope but also caution
Residents and politicians in Armenia and Azerbaijan responded Saturday with cautious hope — and skepticism in some cases — after their leaders signed a U.S.-brokered agreement at the White House aimed at ending decades of hostilities. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the agreement on Friday in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, who stood between the leaders as they shook hands — a gesture Trump reinforced by clasping their hands together. While the agreement does not constitute a formal peace treaty, it represents a significant diplomatic step toward normalization of relations. The two countries remain technically at war, and the deal does not resolve the longstanding dispute over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. It does, however, reflect the shifting power dynamics following Azerbaijan's 2023 military victory, which forced the withdrawal of Armenian forces and ethnic Armenians from the region. Among the agreement's provisions is the creation of a new transit corridor, dubbed the 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,' highlighting a changing geopolitical landscape amid declining Russian influence in the South Caucasus. Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the heart of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict since the Soviet Union's collapse. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the mountainous region was controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Two wars — in the early 1990s and again in 2020 — left tens of thousands dead and displaced. In 2023, Azerbaijan regained control of most of the territory in a swift offensive. Hopeful for peace and a weaker Moscow Ali Karimli, head of the opposition People's Front of Azerbaijan Party, wrote on Facebook that the signing of the agreement 'has undoubtedly brought Azerbaijan and Armenia significantly closer to peace,' and noted that it delivered 'another blow … to Russia's influence in the South Caucasus,' while deepening ties with the U.S. Arif Hajili, chairman of Azerbaijani opposition party Musavat, said he believed that 'the most positive aspect of the initialing in Washington was the absence of Russia from the process.' He said lasting stability in the region hinges on the continual dwindling of Russian power, which 'depends on the outcome of the Russian‑Ukrainian war.' Hajili also warned of lingering challenges, including Armenia's economic dependence on Russia and some 2 million Azerbaijanis living in Russia. 'Russia will continue to use these factors as levers of pressure,' he said. Hope on the streets of Azerbaijan's capital 'We have been waiting for a long time for this agreement to be signed,' a resident of Baku, Gunduz Aliyev, told The Associated Press. 'We did not trust our neighbor, Armenia. That's why a strong state was needed to act as a guarantor. Russia couldn't do it, but the United States succeeded.' 'The U.S. is taking full responsibility for security. This will bring peace and stability," said another, Ali Mammadov. "Borders will open soon, and normal relations with Armenia will be established.' Abulfat Jafarov, also in Baku, expressed gratitude to all three leaders involved. 'Peace is always a good thing,' he said. "We welcome every step taken towards progress.' More divided views in the Armenian capital Some people in Yerevan were unsure of the meaning of the agreement. 'I feel uncertain because much still needs clarification. There are unclear aspects, and although the prime minister of Armenia made some statements from the U.S., more details are needed,' Edvard Avoyan said. But entrepreneur Hrach Ghasumyan could see economic benefits. 'If gas and oil pipelines pass through Armenia and railway routes are opened, it would be beneficial for the country,' he said. 'Until now, all major routes have passed through Georgia, leaving Armenia sidelined and economically limited.' Others were skeptical that peace could be achieved, and expressed discontent with the terms of the agreement. 'That declaration is unlikely to bring real peace to the region, and we are well aware of Azerbaijan's stance,' Ruzanna Ghazaryan said. 'This initial agreement offers us nothing; the concessions are entirely one-sided.'
Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump nominates State Dept spokeswoman Bruce as US deputy representative to UN
WASHINGTON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce as the next U.S. deputy representative to the United Nations.
Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
Europe and Ukraine press US ahead of Trump-Putin talks
KYIV/LONDON Aug 9 (Reuters) - European officials were reported to have presented their own Ukraine peace proposals to the United States on Saturday as President Donald Trump prepared for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war. Trump announced on Friday that he would meet Putin in Alaska on August 15, saying the parties, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict. Details of the potential deal have yet to be announced, but Trump said it would involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both". It could require Ukraine to surrender significant parts of its territory - an outcome Kyiv and its European allies say would only encourage Russian aggression. U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Ukrainian and European allies in Britain on Saturday to discuss Trump's push for peace. The Wall Street Journal said European officials had presented a counter-proposal, including demands that a cease-fire must take place before any other steps are taken and that any territory exchange must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees. "You can't start a process by ceding territory in the middle of fighting," it quoted one European negotiator as saying. European officials contacted by Reuters were unable to confirm the report. Zelenskiy said the meeting was constructive. "All our arguments were heard," he said in his evening address to Ukrainians. "The path to peace for Ukraine should be determined together and only together with Ukraine, this is key principle," he said. He had earlier rejected any territorial concessions, saying "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier". French President Emmanuel Macron also said Ukraine must play a role in any negotiations. "Ukraine's future cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for over three years now," he wrote on X after what he said were calls with Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. "Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution, as their own security is at stake." Zelenskiy has made a flurry of calls with Ukraine's allies since Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Moscow on Wednesday which Trump described as having achieved "great progress". "Clear steps are needed, as well as maximum coordination between us and our partners," Zelenskiy said in a post on X earlier on Saturday. Ukraine and the European Union have pushed back on proposals that they view as ceding too much to Putin, whose troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022, citing what Moscow called threats to Russia's security from a Ukrainian pivot towards the West. Kyiv and its Western allies say the invasion is an imperial-style land grab. After the talks in Britain, Axios reporter Barak Ravid cited a U.S. official as saying: "Today's hours-long meetings produced significant progress toward President Trump's goal of bringing an end to the war in Ukraine." It was not clear what, if anything, had been agreed. Moscow has previously claimed four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – as well as the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. Russian forces do not fully control all the territory in the four regions and Russia has demanded that Ukraine pull out its troops from the parts of all four of them that they still control. Ukraine says its troops still have a small foothold in Russia's Kursk region a year after its troops crossed the border to try to gain leverage in any negotiations. Russia said it had expelled Ukrainian troops from Kursk in April. Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, described the current peace push as "the first more or less realistic attempt to stop the war". "At the same time, I remain extremely sceptical about the implementation of the agreements, even if a truce is reached for a while. And there is virtually no doubt that the new commitments could be devastating for Ukraine," she said. Fierce fighting is raging along the more than 1,000-km (620-mile) front line along eastern and southern Ukraine, where Russian forces hold around a fifth of the country's territory. Russian troops are slowly advancing in Ukraine's east, but their summer offensive has so far failed to achieve a major breakthrough, Ukrainian military analysts say. Ukrainians remain defiant. "Not a single serviceman will agree to cede territory, to pull out troops from Ukrainian territories," Olesia Petritska, 51, told Reuters as she gestured to hundreds of small Ukrainian flags in the Kyiv central square commemorating fallen soldiers.
