Democrats sue for access into ‘Alligator Alcatraz’; Governor’s Office calls their complaint ‘dumb’

Five Democratic lawmakers are suing and asking the Florida Supreme Court for access into the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility after they said they were blocked from entering to inspect the conditions.

“The denial of unannounced access to the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ was blatantly unconstitutional,” reads a lawsuit filed by Sens. Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith and Reps. Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon and Michele Rayner. Their lawyer is Rep. Ashley Gantt, another Democrat.

They accuse Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of overstepping and restricting the Legislature’s independent oversight authority.  

DeSantis’ spokeswoman called the lawsuit “frivolous” and “dumb” when reached for comment Thursday.

The Democratic lawmakers said they wanted to inspect the detention center’s conditions and see the taxpayer-funded facility following reports that it had flooded.

“The Petitioners attempted to arrive unannounced so that they could observe the unadulterated conditions of the facility,” reads the filing. “The unannounced inspection of the facility falls squarely within the Petitioners’ purview and oversight duties as State officers and members of the Florida Legislature.”

But when they arrived on July 3, employees refused to let them inside, citing “safety concerns.” The lawmakers were told to schedule a future tour instead.

“After waiting for approximately an hour, the Petitioners were denied access to the facility by the EPU employee due to alleged ‘safety concerns’ that were never identified,” the lawsuit said.

DeSantis spokeswoman Molly Best said, “Yesterday, the Florida Division of Emergency Management invited all Florida legislators to tour Alligator Alcatraz this weekend. Today, five Democrat legislators responded by filing a frivolous lawsuit demanding access to Alligator Alcatraz. The State is looking forward to quickly dispensing with this dumb lawsuit.”

Gantt did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening. 

The state built the $450 million “Alligator Alcatraz” facility in eight days in the wetlands of the Everglades. The controversial facility has angered immigration advocates and environmentalists who worry about the impact of the facility.