ACLU files lawsuit, claims Alligator Alcatraz detainees denied attorney access

OCHOPEE, Fla. — Civil rights advocates filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, July 16, against the Trump administration over what they describe as unconstitutional restrictions on legal counsel access at a new Florida immigration detention center, according to the ACLU.

The facility, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," is located on an abandoned airstrip in the Everglades wetlands of Ochopee, Florida.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, and Americans for Immigrant Justice filed the suit on behalf of detainees and legal service providers who claim the government has banned in-person legal visits, confidential phone or video communication, and secure exchange of legal documents.

"The lawsuit also seeks to force the government to provide timely and accurate location information about people being held at the facility and to secure confidential, in-person and telephonic attorney access for them," the ACLU said in a press release.

The lawsuit claims attorneys who tried to meet with clients were being turned away by armed Florida National Guard members and state police at the facility's checkpoint, despite requests for attorney-client meetings.

Other groups also joined the lawsuit, including Florida Keys Immigration, Sanctuary of the South, U.S. Immigration Law Counsel, and individual attorneys from private firms.

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