Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is promising to fight back after a federal judge blocked the expansion of Florida’s Everglades detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction halting construction at the site and barred the facility from accepting new detainees.
The ruling was cheered by environmentalists and the Miccosukee Tribe, who sued to stop the expansion, citing conservation promises made decades ago.
DeSantis: “We expected this”
DeSantis blasted the ruling in an interview with Fox News, calling it an obvious political hit.
“We totally expected an adverse ruling. And we also knew we were going to immediately appeal and get that decision stayed. So we will ultimately be successful in this. It’s not going to stop our resolve,” DeSantis said.
The governor vowed deportations would continue, saying Florida is fully committed to supporting President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“We’re going to continue to do what we need to do to help the Trump administration remove illegal aliens from our country. You know, that’s the mandate that they have,” he added.