Overview
- A federal appeals panel stayed Judge Kathleen Williams’s order to halt new intakes and dismantle the Everglades detention camp, concluding the state-run site is not a federal project.
- DHS confirmed Florida has applied for FEMA Detention Support Grant reimbursement, and the appellate ruling noted that federal funding could trigger environmental review obligations.
- Recent reporting found that the whereabouts of roughly two-thirds of more than 1,800 men held there in July were not identifiable in ICE’s public database, with hundreds showing no record or only “Call ICE for details.”
- The camp’s population has fallen to fewer than 400 from about 1,800 in July, as Florida also opened a second state-run facility in Baker County that holds about 115 people and can house roughly 1,300.
- Parallel suits continue over access to counsel and the state’s authority under 287(g), including allegations that private contractor Critical Response Strategies is staffing key roles at the Everglades site.