Trump administration moving detainees out of "Alligator Alcatraz"

Judge blocks "Alligator Alcatraz" enlargement

Court ruling blocks enlargement of "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center 01:46

The Department of Homeland Security has begun moving detainees retired of a controversial, state-run migration detention halfway successful the mediate of the Florida Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," days aft a national justice ruled that parts of the installation indispensable beryllium dismantled.

The detainees are being transferred to different migration detention centers, DHS said successful a connection Wednesday, blaming a tribunal bid from an "activist judge" that it called "another effort to forestall the President from fulfilling the American people's mandate to region the worst of the worst."

"DHS is complying with this bid and moving detainees to different facilities. We volition proceed to combat tooth-and-nail to region the worst of the worst from American streets," DHS said successful a connection to CBS News.

Earlier Wednesday, the Associated Press reported a apical Florida exigency authoritative had told a South Florida rabbi past week that Alligator Alcatraz would apt beryllium bare "within a fewer days."

The facility, tally by Florida's authorities authorities connected a mostly abandoned airstrip, is portion of a wider push by the Trump medication to ramp up the fig of migration detention beds by partnering with Republican-led states consenting to assistance its escalating wide deportation efforts.

Republican officials successful Indiana and Nebraska person besides offered to person authorities prisons into migration detention centers, and the Trump medication has been eyeing akin facilities successful different states.

The medication has formed "Alligator Alcatraz" arsenic a cost-effective mode of holding immigrants surviving successful the U.S. illegally and suggested the treacherous terrain astir the tract could service arsenic a deterrent. But advocates have described inhumane conditions astatine the facility, including a deficiency of entree to water, scarce and unsanitary nutrient and constricted entree to attorneys — allegations that national and authorities officials person denied.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered an indefinite halt to each caller operation astatine "Alligator Alcatraz" and barred the transportation of caller detainees to the facility. She besides directed authorities officials to region each fencing, airy fixtures, generators and definite different instrumentality astatine the tract wrong 60 days, siding with biology activists who said the installation skirted national biology laws. 

The ruling did not necessitate the installation to beryllium unopen down immediately.

Florida's authorities authorities quickly appealed Williams' ruling past week. Late Wednesday evening, Williams declined to halt her ruling pending appeal, rejecting a petition by the Trump medication and Florida.

In her caller bid Wednesday, Williams said national and authorities officials had failed to contiguous "new evidence" showing the detainees astatine "Alligator Alcatraz" are peculiarly unsafe oregon that a intermission successful operations astatine the installation would thwart migration enforcement efforts.

"Alligator Alcatraz" is besides the taxable of 2 different lawsuits. One of them alleges that detainees person been incapable to conscionable with their lawyers confidentially. A national justice earlier this period dismissed 1 portion of the suit that alleged the authorities had prevented detainees from filing ineligible challenges by not making wide which migration tribunal oversaw the facility, but helium near the remainder of the suit intact — though helium moved the lawsuit from Miami to Orlando.

Another suit filed past week alleges the authorities of Florida does not person the ineligible authorization to run an migration detention center.