Judge Weighs Detainees’ Legal Access at Florida ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Facility
A federal judge in Fort Myers has opened a two‑day hearing on whether immigrants held at Florida’s state‑run Everglades detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' are being unlawfully denied access to their lawyers. Civil‑rights attorneys are seeking a temporary injunction requiring the DeSantis‑built facility to provide attorney access comparable to federally run ICE centers, arguing that three‑day advance appointment rules, frequent last‑minute transfers and long scheduling delays have prevented detainees from meeting counsel before critical deadlines, violating their First Amendment rights. State officials deny restricting access and say the protocols are driven by security and staffing needs, while federal defendants argue any limits are permissible so long as they are reasonably related to 'legitimate penological interest.' ICE Miami deputy field office director Juan Lopez Vega, who tried unsuccessfully to quash a subpoena, is among those expected to testify, and the case proceeds alongside other federal suits that have challenged the facility’s authority to operate and its environmental review. The outcome will help determine how far states can go in running their own immigration lockups and what minimum lawyer‑access standards apply when they do, issues that are drawing intense scrutiny amid Trump‑era crackdowns and reports of due‑process failures in remote detention sites.
📌 Key Facts
- U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell is holding a two‑day hearing on a requested temporary injunction over attorney access at the Everglades immigration detention facility
- The state‑run center, built last summer by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration at a remote airstrip, requires lawyers to schedule visits three days in advance, unlike other ICE sites where they can arrive during visiting hours
- Plaintiffs allege detainees are often transferred after appointments are set and that delays have prevented meetings before key legal deadlines, while state and federal officials insist no First Amendment rights are being violated and cite security and staffing concerns
- ICE enforcement and removal deputy field office director Juan Lopez Vega was compelled by subpoena to testify after unsuccessfully seeking to avoid appearing
- Two other federal suits have already targeted the facility, including one challenging state authority to run it and another in which a Miami judge ordered it wound down over a missing environmental review before an appeals court stayed that order
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