By MIKE SCHNEIDER - Associated Press
Federal officials on Friday confirmed that Florida has been reimbursed $608 million for the costs of building and running an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, exposing “Alligator Alcatraz” to the risk of being ordered to close for a second time.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in an email that the state of Florida was awarded its full reimbursement request.
The reimbursement exposes the state of Florida to being forced to unwind operations at the remote facility for a second time because of a federal judge's injunction in August. The Miami judge agreed with environmental groups who had sued that the site wasn’t given a proper environmental review before it was converted into an immigration detention center and ga