Officials withheld evidence on Florida's Alligator Alcatraz, new records show

Environmental groups say public records reveal federal and state officials discussed federal reimbursement for the Everglades detention center and FEMA later approved $608 million; the facility remains open while appeals continue.

Environmental groups say federal and state officials withheld records showing federal reimbursement for a new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." The groups obtained emails and documents through a public records request and filed court papers asking judges to consider the material. A federal judge in Miami had ordered the facility to wind down in mid‑August over failures to complete a required federal environmental review. The facility remains open while the case is on appeal. Key facts: - Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity say the records show officials discussed federal reimbursement in June and that FEMA acknowledged receipt of a grant application in early August. - FEMA notified Florida in late September that it had approved $608 million to support the center's construction and operation, according to the court filings. - A Miami federal judge ordered the facility to wind down in mid‑August because officials had not completed a federal environmental review. - An appellate panel put a temporary hold on the closure order and is now considering the appeals while the facility remains open and holding detainees. Summary: The newly disclosed records, the groups say, indicate federal and state officials communicated about reimbursement and funding for the Everglades facility and did not present those documents to the district court. The appellate court has temporarily stayed the closure order and judges will consider the newly produced material as they decide the facility's permanent fate.