Environmental Lawsuit Dismissed Due to Incorrect Venue

An environmentalist aiming to halt a detention center for undocumented immigrants, referred to as “Crocodile Alcatraz,” may have mistakenly filed the case in the wrong jurisdiction. This assertion was made by Florida’s executive, who asked a federal judge to either reassign or dismiss the lawsuit on Monday.

The Trump administration had previously authorized a project led by Florida Attorney General James Usmierer, resulting in the construction of this immigration detention center in the Everglades. It is also known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and later as the Everglades Center for Biodiversity. The lawsuit is set to pause in U.S. District Court on June 27. Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Emergency Management, noted that the center is located in Collier County and not in Miami-Dade, deeming the legal filing inappropriate.

“All facilities, including buildings and problematic pavement, are in Collier County, not Miami-Dade,” Guthrie’s statement indicated. He pointed out that the plaintiff had acknowledged this in their declaration, emphasizing that site activity is exclusively in Collier County, and no legal decisions have been made in Miami-Dade County in relation to this matter.

Guthrie argued that while the detention center is officially owned by Miami-Dade County, its physical location lies in Collier County. Environmental advocates, on the other hand, claim that Guthrie’s argument is a form of “judicial shopping,” where litigants seek favorable judges.

Guthrie is among several defendants in this case, including the Homeland Security Secretary and the acting director of U.S. Immigration Customs. He noted that the defendants had not contested the venue within the Southern District of Florida. It is anticipated that the case will be handed over to Judge Williams, who has previously expressed contempt towards Florida Attorney General Usmierer for not adhering to her directives.

“This seems like a clear attempt at judicial shopping,” remarked Premier Everglades official Paul Schwiep, suggesting that the trial should proceed in Miami-Dade County since it is partially within that jurisdiction.

Guthrie contends that the claims presented by the Green Group pertain to a different district and asserts that federal environmental review requirements are not applicable to Miami-Dade County, as the site necessitating review is located elsewhere. Furthermore, he stated that operational decisions regarding the facility are being made outside Miami-Dade.

As of now, neither Guthrie nor the Center for Biodiversity has provided any comments in response to the inquiries from the Daily Caller News Foundation.