#james uthmeier

[saywhat-politics]

The federal judge said state Attorney General James Uthmeier snubbed her order barring enforcement of a new Florida immigration law.

June 17, 2025, 7:51 PM EDT

By Dareh Gregorian

A federal judge found Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in civil contempt Tuesday after he snubbed a court order in a high-profile immigration case and then boasted about it in interviews.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams wrote that Uthmeier offered "a series of implausible interpretations of the language he used" to argue he was complying with the order and that those interpretations were not believable.

[girlactionfigure]

The change has already been reverted.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims at Popular Information:

In a chilling meeting of the Florida State Board of Education last week, a school district superintendent was publicly browbeaten and repeatedly threatened with criminal prosecution. The members of the State Board were incensed that Van Ayres, the Superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools, had not unilaterally and permanently removed a list of 55 books from school libraries. While Florida Republicans have defended removing books from public school libraries in the name of "parents' rights," no Hillsborough County parent had objected to the books at issue. Rather, the State Board had summarily declared that the 55 books were "pornography," even though none of the books met the legal definition of pornographic material. Many of the books targeted by the State Board are award-winning literature that have been read by students for years — including two finalists for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, Patricia McCormick's Sold and Elana K. Arnold's What Girls Are Made Of. Also included was Forever, a seminal young adult novel by Judy Blume, winner of the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award, which honors the best young adult authors. These books include sexual content and other mature themes. But they are not smut or pornography. They are works of literature that have long been recognized as valuable material for many high school students. The Florida Freedom to Read Project obtained the full list of books that the State Board wants immediately banned from public schools.

Ayres had ordered the removal of all 55 books — and hundreds of others — after receiving threatening letters from Florida Secretary of Education Manny Diaz Jr. (R) and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R). But the State Board was angered that, with the exception of six books, Ayres indicated the materials would be reviewed by the schools’ librarians, known in Florida as media specialists, to determine which books were age-appropriate and which should be removed permanently. Kelly Garcia, who was appointed to the State Board by Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in 2023, suggested that librarians in Hillsborough County were illiterate and told Ayres they lacked a "single shred of decency." She described the librarians as "child abusers" and asked if Ayres had considered firing all of them.

Ryan Petty, appointed by DeSantis in 2020, told Ayres it was time to demonstrate "courage." According to Petty, Ayres should tell librarians and others in his school district, "I don't care what the rules say." Then, Ayres should order the permanent removal of the "garbage" from the library and tell district librarians that anyone who does not comply will be "terminated immediately."

[...] Ben Gibson, the State Board Chair, demanded that Ayres remove all 55 books within two weeks. (Gibson incorrectly stated there were 57 books on the list.) Gibson told Ayres not to let the books be subject to "an expensive review process" and instead "be done with it." [...]

The groups behind the bans

Both the legislation and the book bans are being advocated for by two right-wing groups, Moms for Liberty and Citizens Defending Freedom. Since 2021, Moms for Liberty has pushed to limit conversations about race and LGBTQ issues in schools, remove books from school libraries, and limit sex education curricula. The group’s website argues that the organization is “fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”

Moms for Liberty has reported school librarians to law enforcement for letting a student check out a popular young adult novel, claiming that they were distributing “pornography;” convinced a school district to “draw clothes” over illustrated books that depicted figures without clothes, including Maurice Sendak’s In The Night Kitchen; and argued that young adult books about Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges were “critical race theory.” Citizens Defending Freedom’s website states that its “resources empower citizens to hold school boards, local officials, and other governing bodies accountable, ensuring they uphold the principles of freedom and liberty.” The group’s “focused efforts” include “uncovering corruption,” “promoting our faith,” and “election integrity.”

Florida continues their hateful book ban crusade on the specious basis of “pornography” in schools. This time, it’s Hillsborough County Public Schools under the microscope.

[sirpuntine]

Are you aware of ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ?

"This site is a multigenerational home for the Indigenous peoples of Florida, and it is not the home of a harmful and unnecessary prison." - Friends of the Everglades

Source

“Alligator Alcatraz” is an immigrant detention center being built illegally in the Big Cypress Preserve of the Florida Everglades to house 5,000 people in tents in summer, with plans to use alligators and snakes as opposed to walls and buildings as a deterrent to the people being kidnapped, trafficked, and contained.

“State authorities project that the center will be operational at the beginning of July, with an initial capacity of at least 1,000 detainees and a gradual expansion thereafter”

As of 6/26: Construction has already started and has been connected to LOGISTIC EVENT CORPS and US TENT RENTAL. FL National Guard and Highway Patrol have been sent to “secure the perimeter and entry points of Alligator Alcatraz”. Homeland Security is largely funding it with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) using its Shelter and Service Program, which usually allocates money to governments and nonprofits to “provide migrants with temporary shelter, food and transportation”.

There are 15 Miccosukee and Seminole villages in Big Cypress, which also supplies 40% of their drinking water, but the tribes WERE NOT CONSULTED and EXPLICITLY OPPOSE construction.

The Mayor of Miami is opposing construction until environmental impact assessments are done and is reportedly considering legal action

“Levine Cava also reported that the state of Florida offered only 20 million dollars for the property, while its most recent appraisal exceeds 190 million”

DeSantis has claimed the project has zero environmental impacts, which has been vehemently denied by environmentalists:

"There will be impact because sewage will be generated, water will be used, and it will create light pollution affecting the habitat” - Eve Samples, Executive Director of Friends of the Everglades

“She also contends the state failed to follow proper procedure by skipping a required environmental review before building a federal facility. Samples raised additional alarm over the threat to endangered species, noting that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) maps show panthers living in the area.”

“In addition to the criticisms of the immigration plan itself, construction in this region -considered ecologically sensitive- could cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem of the Everglades, one of the most important natural reserves in the United States.” [x]

In 1969, Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades to stop construction in the same location based on the findings of the 1st ever environmental impact study done in FL and was successful

"Development of the proposed jetport and its attendant facilities will lead to land drainage and development for agriculture, transportation, and services in the Big Cypress Swamp which will inexorably destroy the south Florida ecosystem and thus the Everglades National Park."

US President Ford established Big Cypress National Preserve in 1974 In order to “assure the preservation, conservation, and protection of the natural, scenic, hydrologic, floral and faunal, and recreational values of the Big Cypress Watershed”

Call Scripts:

Use these exactly, or use pieces, or base your own message on them - as long as you contact ASAP

Friends of the Everglades: “Dear Gov. DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier, Don’t make the same mistake Florida avoided 55 years ago. I’m urging you to STOP the reckless plan to build an “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in the heart of the Everglades. This land is critical to the future of the Everglades — that’s why thousands of Floridians joined forces to stop the Everglades Jetport from paving over this very ground in 1970. Now Attorney General Uthmeier wants to do what even President Nixon’s administration knew was wrong: open the door to development in one of America’s most fragile and iconic ecosystems, surrounded by Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. You have the power to stop this anti-Everglades proposal, and I’m calling on you to use it. NO AIRPORTS. NO ROCK MINES. NO PRISONS on this land. ONLY EVERGLADES! Sincerely, [your info here]”

Jessica Namath: “My name is (name] and I'm calling to ask that you help protect our nation's FIRST National Preserve - Big Cypress - and stop "Alligator Alcatraz". The Everglades are no place for ANY 1,000 person facility. The infrastructure can't support it, and the impacts to the indigenous community and ecosystem would be catastrophic. Please oppose this terrible idea!”

Sierra Club FL Chapter: “Dear Governor DeSantis - You have repeatedly claimed to be a defender of the Everglades. Now is the moment to back up those words with action. The proposed “Alligator Alcatraz” ICE facility would devastate a vital part of the Everglades — undoing decades of restoration progress and wasting billions of taxpayer dollars already invested in protecting this unique ecosystem. This project threatens to destroy the very heart of the River of Grass, undermining the hard work of generations of advocates and scientists dedicated to restoring Florida’s natural heritage. I urge you to listen to the thousands of Floridians who stand against this plan. Show real leadership by rejecting this harmful project and fully committing to protecting and restoring the Everglades for future generations. The time to act is now. Stop Alligator Alcatraz, and stand by your promise to protect the Everglades. Sincerely, [your info here]”

Friends of the Everglades provide this to contact DeSantis and Uthmeier. You can also email DeSantis through his website, or use the contact info below:

DeSantis Mailing Address: The Capitol / 400 South Monroe St. / Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 | DeSantis Phone: (850)717-9337 or (850)488-7146

Uthmeier Mailing Address: Office of the Attorney General / State of Florida /!PL-01, The Capitol / Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050 | Uthmeier Phone: (866)966-7226

Call the companies involved and confront their complicity, demanding they stop their service

US Tent Rental (Sarasota, FL): (941)727-3311

Logistics Event Corps (SweetWater, FL): (305)232-8368

BTW DeSantis has already said he wants to build another detention center at Camp Blanding, 30 miles West of Jacksonville, in Northeast FL

[themorningnewsinformer]

Alligator Alcatraz: Everglades Become Florida’s Swamp Detention Hub

Introduction Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention facility under construction deep in the Florida Everglades, is stirring fierce backlash. Built at the abandoned Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, the camp leverages natural wildlife barriers—alligators and pythons—to prevent escapes, drawing criticism for its environmental and human rights implications. What Is “Alligator…

[meandmybigmouth]

'Don’t have a smidgen of hope': Noem to divert FEMA money as flood victims struggle

The New Republic reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem intends to use FEMA funds to build a new detention center in Florida.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier revealed his approval of plans for funding the facility, called “Alligator Alcatraz” with federal money last week. He said on Fox News that the hostile Florida Everglades would act to deter escape from the 39-square-mile site.

[saywhat-politics]

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a letter to law enforcement Wednesday stating that he won’t stop them from enforcing a temporarily blocked state immigration law that led to the arrest of a U.S. citizen last week.

Uthmeier’s letter states that he doesn’t believe law enforcement has to abide by the order from a federal judge in Miami prohibiting the state from enforcing the law, which makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to illegally enter the state as an “unauthorized alien” and adds heightened penalties for re-entry.

At the direction of U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams, Uthmeier sent a memo to law enforcement Friday, writing that they shouldn’t make arrests under the law. This week’s letter, however, states that he won’t stand in the way of arrests under the law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on Feb. 13 and Williams blocked on April 4.

[ardl]

Florida is building a detention facility for migrants nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” turning an airfield in the Everglades into the newest — and scariest-sounding — holding center designed to help the Trump administration carry out its immigration crackdown.

The remote facility, composed of large tents, and other planned facilities will cost the state around $450 million a year to run, but Florida can request some reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.

Florida’s attorney general, James Uthmeier, a Trump ally who has pushed to build the detention center in the Everglades, has said the state will not need to invest much in security because the area is surrounded by dangerous wildlife, including alligators and pythons. A spokesperson for the attorney general said work on the new facility started on Monday morning.

from nyt unpaywalled lnk

[floridensis]

'Alligator Alcatraz': Florida Attorney General proposes immigrant detention center in Everglades

https://www.wlrn.org/immigration/2025-06-18/alligator-alcatraz-florida-attorney-general-proposes-immigrant-detention-center-in-everglades

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is calling it “Alligator Alcatraz.”

He told Fox Business on Tuesday that Florida is proposing to build a massive immigrant detention center in the Everglades on a large parcel of land owned by Miami-Dade County.

The facility, says Uthmeier, would house suspected undocumented immigrants, process immigration cases and easily put them on deportation flights because the county-owned land includes an air strip.

“If somebody were to get out, there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Only the alligators and pythons are waiting. That's why I like to call it ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’” Uthmeier told Fox News correspondent Danamarie McNicholl on Fox Business.

If approved, Uthmeier told Fox Business, it would become the state’s largest immigration detention facility and help ease the pressure on local jails and federal facilities used to hold immigrants accused of being illegally in the country.

The facility could be up and running within 60 days if local, state and federal agencies approve it, Uthmeier told the cable TV network.

The proposal comes at a time when the Trump administration has said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least 3,000 arrests daily, up from about 650 daily during the first months of Trump’s second term.

The crackdown on undocumented immigrants is an issue President Donald Trump campaigned on during the 2024 presidential race.

In March, during a speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump told lawmakers he was going “to protect our homeland and complete the largest deportation operation in American history.”

[jadestormcloud2]

"Fla. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is on the defensive over questions about how $10 million in state money came to be used to fund a political campaign.

...

The allegations involve $10 million that was paid to Florida by Centene, a company that provides managed care to Medicaid recipients. The money was part of a $67 million settlement by the company after it was charged with overbilling taxpayers for medications. Ten million dollars of the settlement was paid directly to a non-profit group, Hope Florida. That's a charity founded by Gov. DeSantis' wife, Casey, to help people move off government assistance into community-based programs.

An investigation by state lawmakers found that after receiving it, Hope Florida transferred the $10 million to two "dark money" political groups — groups that aren't required to disclose their donors. The two groups then sent some $8.5 million to a political committee that was campaigning against an amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. It was a group controlled by DeSantis' then-chief of staff, now Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier."

[yourreddancer]

Florida is planning to build a new migrant concentration camp deep in the Everglades swamp on a 39-mile airfield — and right off the bat, it's clear that this is going to be beyond hellish for the innocent people they'll incarcerate there.

Their plans make it seem like they're building a Civil War-era POW camp rather than a facility to hold people who, again, ARE NOT CRIMINALS. "We'll have some light infrastructure, a lot of heavy duty tent facilities, trailer facilities," said Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said. "We don't need to build a lot of brick-and-mortar."

Demand Florida stop its plans to build a swamp concentration camp for migrants! The entire reason the airfield is vacant in the first place is because construction on the project was stopped in 1970 over environmental concerns — but Trump and DeSantis couldn't care less about the creatures and the wilderness of the state that they themselves live in.

In fact, the entire point of putting the camp in the Everglades is the hope that the wildlife will kill them. "You don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide," said Uthmeier. This camp is a monstrous crime against humanity and the environment and we cannot allow it to become a reality.

Tell Florida: Don't open "Alligator Alcatraz" concentration camp in the Everglades!

[saywhat-politics]

Florida's attorney general has proposed a temporary detention facility called "Alligator Alcatraz," which he wants to build in the Everglades to house what he calls "criminal aliens."

As of now, the area is an old airstrip used as a pilot training facility and is surrounded by pythons and alligators.

In a video posted on social media platform "X", Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said: