Overview

• The site remains operational under a Sept. 4 Eleventh Circuit stay that paused a shutdown order after judges said federal environmental laws did not apply without federal funding.
• Less than eight days later, Florida’s emergency management agency applied to FEMA for reimbursement, a move confirmed by a DHS spokesperson without disclosing the amount or filing date.
• Plaintiffs including the Miccosukee Tribe and environmental groups have sought reconsideration from the appeals court, arguing the pursuit of federal money changes the legal posture.
• Separate reporting found widespread detainee tracking gaps and errors, including hundreds not appearing in ICE’s database and documented cases of mistaken or abrupt deportations.
• State legal costs are mounting, with contracts including Boies Schiller Flexner ($150,000 and $875 per hour in another case) and Shutts & Bowen ($100,000), as the facility’s annual costs are estimated at about $450 million and FEMA’s Detention Support Grant Program totals $608.4 million with awards possible by Sept. 30.