When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the opening of Alligator Alcatraz, I loved it.
I thought it was a great use of a piece of land to deter escape and solved a huge problem for the Trump administration in terms of being able to house criminal illegals.
That project was halted by a liberal judge, but the appellate court just tossed the decision, and DeSantis's project is back open for business.
After the project was announced, the Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, and the Miccosukee Tribe fought to block the new housing center from opening and being expanded, per DeSantis’ announcement, claiming it violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Judge Kathleen Williams, appointed by Barack Obama, did not buy the state’s argument, siding with the activists.
After Williams announced her ruling, Eve Samples with Friends of the Everglades said, stated, "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 imperiled Everglades ecosystem from further damage caused by this mass detention facility."
Florida officials immediately announced their plans to fight the ruling.
Everyone, including DeSantis, knew someone on the left would fight the facility's existence.
The Florida governor stated, “We knew this would likely happen, and we will respond accordingly.”
DeSantis gave leftists more of a reason to meltdown later, stating, “We’re not going to be deterred. We’re totally in the right on this. But I would also note, because of the success of Alligator Alcatraz, there’s demand for more."
He continued, “So, I did announce that we are going to be opening another facility right outside of Jacksonville in Baker County, and we’ve called that the Deportation Depot.”
On Thursday, a federal appeals court issued a 2-1 ruling to allow the facility to reopen.
Judge Barbara Lagoa, an appointee of President Donald Trump, stated, “It is entirely unclear to us, moreover, how the district court concluded that it could order the proactive dismantling of the Facility by way of a mandatory preliminary injunction.”
Judge Elizabeth Branch, another Trump appointee, sided with the majority opinion. Judge Adalberto Jordan, an Obama appointee, penned the dissenting opinion, accusing the two Trump appointees of ignoring contrary evidence.
The judges ruled that the plaintiff's argument was weak and likely unprovable, so the court was not going to waste taxpayer money on a study that seemed unlikely to support their position. DeSantis, predictably, took a victory lap, stating, “The mission continues on immigration enforcement.”
