A federal appeals court panel has put on hold a lower court judge’s order to wind down operations of the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The three-judge panel in Atlanta on Thursday decided by a 2-1 vote to stay the federal judge’s order pending the outcome of an appeal. The judges in the majority said it was in the public interest. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction last month ordering operations at the facility to be wound down by the end of October. Detainees would be transferred to other facilities.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington explores the complexity of America's past. Objects like the Star-Spangled Banner and Dorothy's ruby slippers share space with artifacts such as the shackles representing slavery and photos of Japanese-American detention camps. The museum's mission is to present a nuanced view of history. President Donald Trump wants a simpler narrative focused on American pride and achievement. He's threatened to withhold money if changes aren't made. At least for now, the museum continues to display a diverse range of artifacts that reflect both the triumphs and struggles of American history.
A federal judge in Miami has refused to pause her order to wind down the immigration detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had requested a stay, arguing the order would disrupt immigration law enforcement. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe opposed the request. Their lawsuit claims the facility threatens sensitive wetlands and reverses environmental restoration efforts. The center, built two months ago, has faced multiple lawsuits over environmental and civil rights concerns. Florida officials are preparing to open a second facility called “Deportation Depot.”
Judge won't halt closure of 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades.
A top Florida official says the controversial state-run immigration detention facility in the Everglades will likely be empty in a matter of days, even as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration fights a federal judge’s order to shutter the facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by a late October deadline. That’s according to an email exchange shared with The Associated Press. Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie says in an email to a South Florida rabbi on Aug. 22 in regard to providing spiritual care at the facility that “we are probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days.”
Minnesota prosecutors have filed misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges against a woman accused of using a racial slur against a Black child at a playground. A video of the incident in whcih the woman admits to the slur has gone viral. As of Tuesday, she has raised over $800,000 on a Christian fundraising platform. The woman faces three counts of disorderly conduct, each carrying a potential penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The NAACP Rochester chapter raised $340,000 for the child’s family before closing their campaign in May.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is in a Virginia detention center and facing deportation to Uganda. He was detained Monday in Baltimore by immigration authorities after leaving a Tennessee jail on Friday. The Trump administration says he's a danger to the community, a human smuggler and a gang member. His attorneys say he's just a family man and a construction worker from El Salvador. His lawyers are fighting the deportation efforts. They say he has the right to express fear of torture in Uganda and to appeal the decisions of immigration authorities. He told the U.S. government he would prefer Costa Rica if he must be deported.
Lil Nas X is calling his recent arrest and jail time as “terrifying.” He made his first public comments on Tuesday after being charged with attacking Los Angeles police officers. The 26-year-old rapper and singer pleaded not guilty to four felony counts on Monday and was released on bail after four days in jail. In an Instagram video posted Tuesday, he said he's going to be OK. Authorities say he was walking naked in LA's San Fernando Valley and charged at officers. He's charged with three felony counts of battery with injury on a police officer and one count of resisting an executive officer.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been detained by immigration authorities in Baltimore. However, a blanket court order automatically pauses any effort to immediately deport Abrego Garcia and other immigrants challenging their detention. The Trump administration wants to deport him to Uganda. Abrego Garcia became the face of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies in March when he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. He was returned to the U.S. in June, then charged with human smuggling. He was released from jail on Friday to await trial, and detained by ICE Monday morning. A federal judge says court orders temporarily prohibit the government from deporting Abrego Garcia.
Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of a deadly Australian mushroom poisoning, says he feels only half alive after losing his wife and two close friends. He spoke Monday at the sentencing hearing for Erin Patterson in Victoria state Supreme Court. Patterson was convicted in July of murdering Wilkinson’s wife, Heather, her sister Gail Patterson, and Gail's husband Don with a toxic lunch in July 2023. Erin Patterson was also convicted of attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson, who survived after a liver transplant. Wilkinson expressed grief and offered forgiveness to Patterson, urging her to use her prison time wisely. She will be sentenced on Sept. 8.