Overview

• Citing mootness, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz dismissed detainees’ Fifth Amendment claim after the government designated the Krome immigration court to hear their cases.
• He transferred the remaining claims to Florida’s Middle District, where plaintiffs’ allegations of impaired, non-confidential lawyer access will continue.
• The state says every attorney meeting request has been granted since videoconferencing began July 15 and in-person visits started July 28, disputing claims of restricted access.
• Civil rights lawyers allege officers pressured detainees to sign voluntary removals before consulting counsel and report unsanitary, flood-prone tents and a spreading respiratory illness.
• In a separate suit, Judge Kathleen Williams temporarily halted additional construction at the Everglades site and is weighing NEPA and Endangered Species Act claims.