Over 21 Republican states and attorneys general are pressing the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to stay District Judge Kathleen Williams' injunction to halt construction, stop bringing new immigrant detainees, and begin winding down operations at the mass detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve known as "Alligator Alcatraz," reported the Miami Herald.
"The district court's injunction disregards Congress' decision to impose obligations only on the federal government and to withhold a cause of action for enforcing NEPA against States," a brief filed Tuesday by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said.
Williams' ruling in August cited extensive evidence demonstrating harm to the Everglades caused by operation of the facility, which was built in June to hold thousands of detainees.
The brief said the case was filed in the wrong venue and that the National Environmental Policy Act does not apply to states.
Indiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming agreed with that argument in their support brief.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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