The controversial detention center for alligator Alcatraz immigrants will close its doors within sixty days starting from 22 August. The decision was made by the federal judge of Miami Kathleen Williams, who not only prohibits the arrival of new immigrants, but also orders -the removal of generators, gas systems, lighting, fences and sewage systems -.
This time, in addition to the concerns related to human rights, the closure is motivated by environmental reasons. The sentence follows a legal cause promoted by environmental groups and by the Council of the Miccosukee community, an indigenous population that manages vast areas of the everglades.
Local leaders defined the construction of an “invasion of their sacred lands”, while environmentalists have highlighted how the center was built without the compulsory ecological revisions provided for by the National Environmental Policy Act and in violation of other state and federal statutes, including the endangered Species Act.
Judge Williams confirmed that the structures could damage both the lifestyle of the Miccosukee, and numerous extinction species present in the area. A further risk concerns the light pollution produced by the center, which could be lethal for the florida bat. There is also talk of serious and irreparable damage to the fragile wetlands of the Everglades.
– It is an important victory for clean water, for wildlife and for people who have fought to protect this landscape – he writes on their site The American environmental and activist organization and activist “Friends of the everglades”. Eva Samples, executive director of the organization, added: – this decision sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders to the highest levels of our government – and there are consequences for those who ignore them. –
Of course, the battle is not over: the state and the federal government have already presented their appeal, but the sentence still represents a significant victory for environmentalists and for the Miccosukee community.
Sources: NBC News/Everglades
