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Canada News.Net
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Plans advance for new immigration site in northern Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Florida: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' administration appears to be moving forward with plans to build a second immigration detention center in the state. Official records show that the state has already awarded at least one contract for what's being called the "North Detention Facility." This new site would add to the capacity of Florida's first immigration detention facility, which was built on an isolated airfield deep in the Florida Everglades. That original site, known informally as "Alligator Alcatraz," officially opened on July 1. So far, the state has signed contracts worth more than US$245 million to construct and operate the Everglades facility. The second detention center is being planned at Camp Blanding, a Florida National Guard training area located about 27 miles southwest of downtown Jacksonville. However, Governor DeSantis has said construction won't begin until federal immigration authorities increase the number of deportations coming from the Everglades facility. The Everglades Center has faced intense criticism and legal challenges from civil rights organizations and environmental groups. Detainees have reported being held without charges, denied access to attorneys, and suffering from a lack of adequate food and medical care. Many have also been unable to bring their cases before federal immigration courts. Despite these concerns, the facility has been praised by President Donald Trump, who described its remote location and harsh conditions as suitable for what he called "the worst of the worst" immigrants. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also expressed support, saying the center could serve as a model for similar facilities in other states. Recently, Florida's Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), the agency responsible for building and managing the detention centers, awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency weather station and two lightning warning systems for the new "North Detention Facility." The equipment is intended to help monitor weather in real time and alert staff to dangerous conditions, especially important as Florida heads into the peak of hurricane season. Parts of the state have already been hit by extreme heat and heavy rains. Environmentalists and immigrant rights groups have raised concerns about the Everglades facility's vulnerability to storms and flooding. The site consists mainly of large tents and trailers that state workers and private contractors quickly assembled. In response to growing scrutiny, FDEM released a heavily censored draft of an emergency evacuation plan for the Everglades site, now referred to as the "South Florida Detention Facility." Large sections of the document—especially those detailing how detainees would be transported or relocated during an emergency—were blacked out. Florida law allows state agencies to keep such emergency plans confidential, and the department has not responded to multiple requests for other related documents, such as evacuation protocols, environmental reviews, or internal risk assessments. When asked about the facility's safety at a press conference on July 25, FDEM Executive Director Kevin Guthrie defended the state's approach. He claimed the site is strong enough to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which can bring winds up to 110 miles per hour.
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
National Guard to assist ICE in 20 states with processing duties
The duties of some will also include taking DNA swabs, photographs and fingerprints of people held at ICE facilities, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity. Guard troops have already started to arrive at ICE offices. More: 'Speedway Slammer' immigration jail set to be Trump's next 'Alligator Alcatraz' In Florida, 25 of the 200 National Guard personnel that will "backfill" nine ICE offices across the state arrived on Aug. 5, according to William Manley, a spokesperson for the Florida National Guard. "We anticipate that our Guardsmen will be performing administrative/clerical tasks, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, photography and transportation support," Manley said. The Florida National Guard personnel will replace 200 Marines deployed in early July to take on "administrative, clerical and logistics" duties at the state's ICE facilities, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command. More: July jobs report may show growing impact of Trump's immigration crackdown National Guard troops could take on similar roles at ICE offices in 20 additional states with Republican governors, including Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, according to Maj. Micah Maxwell, a National Guard Bureau spokesperson. South Carolina has received a request for 40 troops, and Louisiana for 70 troops, according to spokespeople for those state's National Guard bureaus. The Trump administration deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles over widespread immigration raids. The majority - more than 3,000 - have been recalled. Troops tapped by red state governors to backfill ICE offices Unlike those troops, the Guardsmen now tapped to help with ICE arrests will be deployed on the orders of the two dozen states' Republican governors. That means they are not subject to legal prohibitions on federal troops performing law enforcement functions. Tapping the troops to play an integrated role in processing ICE arrests is still cause for concern, said Joseph Nunn, counsel in the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program. "If you're deploying the military domestically to assist with immigration enforcement, you are pulling personnel resources and attention away from the military's core national security responsibilities," Nunn said. That includes the Guard's "traditional" responsibilities, like disaster relief and response, he added. Integrating troops into internal law enforcement operations farther from the border risks making them a regular "presence in ICE offices ... across the country," he said. It opens up the possibility of "the military's seemingly permanent presence at the U.S.-Mexico border ... moving into the interior of the country," he said.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
National Guard to fingerprint, DNA swab immigrant detainees to help ICE
Florida National Guard personnel will replace 200 Marines deployed in July for "administrative, clerical and logistics" duties at ICE facilities. WASHINGTON − National Guard troops deploying to help immigration enforcement agents in more than a dozen red states will DNA swab, fingerprint and transport detainees as part of a plan greenlit by some Republican governors for 1,700 troops to take over some at ICE offices. The Pentagon announced on July 25 that 1,700 National Guard personnel – 1,200 already deployed plus 500 additional troops – will work on "case management, transportation and logistical support, and clerical support for the in- and out-processing" of ICE arrests. The duties of some will also include taking DNA swabs, photographs and fingerprints of people held at ICE facilities, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity. Guard troops have already started to arrive at ICE offices. More: 'Speedway Slammer' immigration jail set to be Trump's next 'Alligator Alcatraz' In Florida, 25 of the 200 National Guard personnel that will "backfill" nine ICE offices across the state arrived on Aug. 5, according to William Manley, a spokesperson for the Florida National Guard. "We anticipate that our Guardsmen will be performing administrative/clerical tasks, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, photography and transportation support," Manley said. The Florida National Guard personnel will replace 200 Marines deployed in early July to take on "administrative, clerical and logistics" duties at the state's ICE facilities, according to a statement from U.S. Northern Command. More: July jobs report may show growing impact of Trump's immigration crackdown National Guard troops could take on similar roles at ICE offices in 20 additional states with Republican governors, including Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas, according to Maj. Micah Maxwell, a National Guard Bureau spokesperson. South Carolina has received a request for 40 troops, and Louisiana for 70 troops, according to spokespeople for those state's National Guard bureaus. The Trump administration deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles over widespread immigration raids. The majority – more than 3,000 – have been recalled. Troops tapped by red state governors to backfill ICE offices Unlike those troops, the Guardsmen now tapped to help with ICE arrests will be deployed on the orders of the two dozen states' Republican governors. That means they are not subject to legal prohibitions on federal troops performing law enforcement functions. Tapping the troops to play an integrated role in processing ICE arrests is still cause for concern, said Joseph Nunn, counsel in the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program. "If you're deploying the military domestically to assist with immigration enforcement, you are pulling personnel resources and attention away from the military's core national security responsibilities," Nunn said. That includes the Guard's "traditional" responsibilities, like disaster relief and response, he added. Integrating troops into internal law enforcement operations farther from the border risks making them a regular "presence in ICE offices ... across the country," he said. It opens up the possibility of "the military's seemingly permanent presence at the U.S.-Mexico border ... moving into the interior of the country," he said.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Judge considers whether Alligator Alcatraz violates environmental law, threatening Everglades' ecosystem
A federal judge on Wednesday was hearing arguments over whether to stop construction of an immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" because it didn't follow environmental laws. Until the laws are followed, environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe said U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams should issue a preliminary injunction to halt operations and further construction. The suit claims the project threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars' worth of environmental restoration. The lawsuit in Miami against federal and state authorities is one of two legal challenges to the South Florida detention center, which was built more than a month ago by the state of Florida on an isolated airstrip owned by Miami-Dade County. A second lawsuit brought by civil rights groups says detainees' constitutional rights are being violated since they are barred from meeting lawyers, are being held without any charges, and a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 18. Under a 55-year-old federal environmental law, federal agencies should have examined how the detention center's construction would impact the environment, identified ways to minimize the impact and followed other procedural rules such as allowing public comment, according to the environmental groups and the tribe. It makes no difference that the detention center holding hundreds of detainees was built by the state of Florida, since federal agencies have authority over immigration, the suit said. "The construction of a detention center is an action that is necessarily subject to federal control and responsibility," they said in a recent court filing. "The State of Florida has no authority or jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration law." Attorneys for federal and state agencies last week asked Williams to dismiss or transfer the injunction request, saying the lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Even though the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida's southern district is the wrong venue for the lawsuit since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state's middle district, they said. Williams had yet to rule on that argument. The lawsuits were being heard as Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration apparently was preparing to build a second immigration detention center at a Florida National Guard training center in north Florida. At least one contract has been awarded for what's labeled in state records as the "North Detention Facility."
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Judge considers whether Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz' detention center violates environmental law
Advertisement A second lawsuit brought by civil rights groups says detainees' constitutional rights are being violated since they are barred from meeting lawyers, are being held without any charges, and a federal immigration court has canceled bond hearings. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Aug. 18. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Under a 55-year-old federal environmental law, federal agencies should have examined how the detention center's construction would impact the environment, identified ways to minimize the impact and followed other procedural rules such as allowing public comment, according to the environmental groups and the tribe. It makes no difference that the detention center holding hundreds of detainees was built by the state of Florida since federal agencies have authority over immigration, the suit said. 'The construction of a detention center is an action that is necessarily subject to federal control and responsibility,' they said in a recent court filing. 'The State of Florida has no authority or jurisdiction to enforce federal immigration law.' Advertisement Attorneys for federal and state agencies last week asked Williams to dismiss or transfer the injunction request, saying the lawsuit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. Even though the property is owned by Miami-Dade County, Florida's southern district is the wrong venue for the lawsuit since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the state's middle district, they said. Williams had yet to rule on that argument. The lawsuits were being heard as Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration apparently was preparing to build a second immigration detention center at a Florida National Guard training center in north Florida. At least one contract has been awarded for what's labeled in state records as the 'North Detention Facility.'
