Judge weighs venue and confidential access at Alligator Alcatraz

A federal judge in Miami is set to hear arguments over whether detainees at the Alligator Alcatraz temporary immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades have been denied their legal rights, specifically the ability to communicate confidentially with counsel and the proper court with jurisdiction over their bond petitions. The case represents the second lawsuit challenging practices at the remote facility, where civil rights attorneys argue that detainees are held incommunicado, with limited privacy for attorney-client discussions and too few opportunities to pursue release through an immigration court.

At the center of the hearing, Judge Rodolfo Ruiz will consider a preliminary injunction that would require detainees to have confidential access to their lawyers and would help determine which immigration court should hear bond or release petitions. Advocates from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation argue that Alligator Alcatraz is an unprecedented operation where hundreds of detainees lack private access to legal counsel under authorities that may not be clearly defined or lawful. They say hearings have been canceled in federal immigration courts by judges...