The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has begun relocating detainees from the Florida detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz," after a federal court ordered parts of the controversial facility dismantled.
DHS said Wednesday detainees are being transferred to other immigration centers, while denouncing the ruling as an attempt to block the administration's immigration policies.
"DHS is complying with this order and moving detainees to other facilities. We will continue to fight tooth-and-nail to remove the worst of the worst from American streets," the agency said, according to CBS News.
It criticized the decision, calling the judge "activist" and claiming the ruling was designed to obstruct "the President from fulfilling the American people's mandate."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed the relocations but did not say whether the facility would be completely emptied before the late October deadline for dismantling set by the Miami federal court.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by Earthjustice, Friends of the Everglades and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians, who argued the detention center had been built without the required environmental assessment.
"Alligator Alcatraz" has faced condemnation from rights groups at home and abroad over what they describe as the dehumanizing treatment of immigrants. The center began operating on July 3 after being ordered by President Donald Trump as part of his crackdown on undocumented migration.
The nickname stems from reports that local wildlife, including alligators and crocodiles, were left to roam around the facility to discourage detainees from escaping.
