Overview

• The Everglades detention center began receiving its first detainees early this month and now holds about 3,000 migrants under state funding and emergency orders.
• Democratic lawmakers were denied entry to inspect the facility, raising potential violations of Florida statutes that guarantee legislative access to correctional institutions.
• Environmental groups and the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes have filed lawsuits alleging the site lacks required environmental reviews and infringes on sacred tribal land.
• Flooding during recent heavy rains and expert analyses warn the camp may not meet hurricane building codes and exposes detainees to extreme heat and mosquito-borne diseases.
• Florida leaders and White House officials are promoting the Everglades model as a template for constructing similar remote detention sites in other Republican-led states.