Advocates have said the immigration detention center built in the middle of the Florida Everglades violates environmental laws.
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ injunction formalizes a temporary halt she ordered two weeks ago as witnesses continued to testify in a multiday hearing to determine whether construction should end until the ultimate resolution of the case.
The judge says she expects the population of the facility to decline within 60 days through the transferring of detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting and generators should be removed.
Environmental groups’ lawsuit claims the project threatens environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars’ worth of environmental restoration.
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