Rana Mourer ondea una bandera estadounidense fuera del centro de detencin de inmigrantes conocido como Alcatraz de los Caimanes en la instalacin de Entrenamiento y Transicin de Dade-Collier, el sbado 12 de julio de 2025 en Ochopee, Florida. (AP Foto/Alexandra Rodriguez)2025-08-18T03:51:29Z MIAMI (AP) A federal judge will hear arguments Monday over whether detainees at a temporary immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades have been denied their legal rights.In the second of two lawsuits challenging practices at the facility known as Alligator Alcatraz, civil rights attorneys are seeking a preliminary injunction to ensure that detainees at the facility have confidential access to their lawyers, which they say hasnt happened. Florida officials dispute that claim.The civil rights attorneys also want U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz to identify an immigration court that has jurisdiction over the detention center so that petitions can be filed for the detainees bond or release. The attorneys say that hearings for their cases have been routinely canceled in federal Florida immigration courts by judges who say they dont have jurisdiction over the detainees held in the Everglades. The situation at Alligator Alcatraz is so anomalous from what is typically granted at other immigration facilities, Eunice Cho, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, said Thursday during a virtual meeting to prepare for Mondays hearing in Miami. But before delving into the core issues of the detainees rights, Ruiz has said he wants to hear about whether the lawsuit was filed in the proper jurisdiction in Miami. The state and federal government defendants have argued that even though the isolated airstrip where the facility was built is owned by Miami-Dade County, Floridas southern district is the wrong venue since the detention center is located in neighboring Collier County, which is in the states middle district. Stay up to date with the latest U.S. news by signing up to our WhatsApp channel. The judge has hinted that some issues may pertain to one district and other issues to the other district, but said he would decide after Mondays hearing. I think we should all be prepared that, before we get into any real argument about preliminary injunctive relief, that we at least spend some time working through the venue issues, Ruiz said Thursday. The hearing over legal access comes as another federal judge in Miami considers whether construction and operations at the facility should be halted indefinitely because federal environmental rules werent followed. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Aug. 7 ordered a 14-day halt on additional construction at the site while witnesses testified at a hearing that wrapped up last week. She has said she plans to issue a ruling before the order expires later this week.Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced last week that his administration was preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed Deportation Depot at a state prison in north Florida. DeSantis justified building the second detention center by saying President Donald Trumps administration needs the additional capacity to hold and deport more immigrants.The state of Florida has disputed claims that Alligator Alcatraz detainees have been unable to meet with their attorneys. The states lawyers said that since July 15, when videoconferencing started at the facility, the state has granted every request for a detainee to meet with an attorney, and in-person meetings started July 28. The first detainees arrived at the beginning of July. But the civil rights attorneys said that even if lawyers have been scheduled to meet with their clients at the detention center, it hasnt been in private or confidential, and it is more restrictive than at other immigration detention facilities. They said scheduling delays and an unreasonable advanced notice requirement have hindered their ability to meet with the detainees, thereby violating their constitutional rights.Civil rights attorneys said officers are going cell-to-cell to pressure detainees into signing voluntary removal orders before theyre allowed to consult their attorneys, and some detainees have been deported even though they didnt have final removal orders. Along with the spread of a respiratory infection and rainwater flooding their tents, the circumstances have fueled a feeling of desperation among detainees, the attorneys wrote in a court filing. One intellectually disabled detainee was told to sign a paper in exchange for a blanket, but was then deported subject to voluntary removal after he signed, without the ability to speak to his counsel, the filing said.The judge has promised a quick decision once the hearing is done.___Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social MIKE SCHNEIDER Schneider covers census, demographics and Florida for The Associated Press. Author of 2023 book, Mickey and the Teamsters. twitter mailto