End of Alcatraz?
No migration center in history likely rivals Alligator Alcatraz in gaining a national reputation so quickly. Celebrated as mass deportation in action by the right and derided as inhumane by the Left, the repurposed airstrip in the Everglades garnered attention for its alliterative name, its reptilian security and its hasty construction.
But as quickly as the facility was established, its downfall appears swift as well, at least if a recent county decision stands. Last week, District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction halting further expansion and ordering the winding down of Alligator Alcatraz.
Under her order, no additional state or federal defendants can be brought to the facility to increase its current population. The injunction includes “those who are in active concert or participation with the state of Florida or federal defendants or their officers, agents, employees,” she wrote.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis berated the decision. But Democrats in Florida’s congressional delegation said the ruling was correct.
“Last night’s ruling is a victory for the Everglades, and it blunts the reckless environmental threat this facility poses,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat and co-Chair of Florida’s congressional delegation.
“We all agree violent criminals must be deported, but the racial and ethnic profiling that triggered this facility’s creation goes on and must be stopped. Until it is, I’ll keep pushing for due process and human rights to be honored and for an end to the cruel conditions at detention facilities like this across our state and nation.”
Rep. Darren Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, agreed. “Justice finally! Alligator Alcatraz is an unlawful state facility posing as a federal detention center,” he said. “This dangerous and cruel political stunt should be closed. It violates civil rights, environmental laws and tribal rights.”
Rep. Frederica Wilson, whose Miami district sits near the center, praised the decision.
“After so much pressure from me and my colleagues, finally, Alligator Alcatraz is closing down,” she said. “It’s about damn time! It was cruel, careless, and destructive from the start and should never have been built. I’m glad it’s closing, and we must never repeat the mistakes made at this facility anywhere else.”
But Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican running for Governor, said the judge wrongly shut the center down.
“This Judge Williams Alligator Alcatraz injunction is political,” he said. “On 11/5, the American people gave us a mandate to deport illegal aliens, secure the border and Make America Safe Again. This rogue judge wants to stop us from carrying out the people’s mandate and this will not stand.”
DeSantis told Fox News the state intends to appeal the decision.
“We also knew we were going to immediately appeal and get that decision stayed,” he said. “So, we will ultimately be successful in this. It’s not going to stop our resolve. We’re going to continue to do what we need to do to help the Trump administration remove illegal aliens from our country. You know, that’s the mandate that they have. So, we anticipated this, but I don’t think it’s going to be insurmountable in the end.”
Fighting fire
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt collided with Sen. Rick Scott to ask for a federal investigation into the Southern California fires.
Pratt became famous — or infamous, depending on who you ask — from MTV’s “The Hills” television show. But earlier this year, Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home to the Pacific Palisades fire.
Pratt has since gone from reality TV villain to political activist. He appeared with Florida’s senior Senator on Pratt’s Instagram account.
“I let him know the victims out in the Palisades are demanding a congressional investigation,” Pratt said.
The camera then cut to Scott, who quipped, “I’m going to do my best to make sure it happens.”
Scott, meanwhile, sent a letter later in the week to Attorney General Pam Bondi requesting a briefing on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team’s investigation of the causes and contributing factors of the wildfires.
“After a recent tour through the Palisades with Mr. Spencer Pratt, who has been a longtime resident of the community, I saw firsthand the devastation that these wildfires caused. Not only did Mr. Pratt’s family lose their home, but his parents lost theirs as well,” the Naples Republican wrote.
“Countless others were impacted by these events, and they have questions about the contributing causes of these fires and how they could have been prevented. By raising awareness and taking legal action, Mr. Pratt has been leading the fight for answers. As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees disaster relief, I aim to help him, his neighbors, and the Los Angeles community in that fight.”
Halting fentanyl
The Drug Enforcement Agency has recognized Aug. 21 as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day and Sen. Ashley Moody took the occasion to call Florida law enforcement to action.
The Plant City Republican held a press event in Tampa shortly after meeting with treatment counselors at Riverside Recovery. There, she highlighted changes in law resulting from the HALT Fentanyl Act, legislation that she co-sponsored and which President Donald Trump recently signed.
The bill reclassifies fentanyl as a Schedule I controlled substance while dedicating resources for law enforcement nationwide to address the opioid epidemic.
“I want to speak directly to Floridians: The No. 1 killer of adults aged 18-45 is fentanyl. If you are suffering from addiction to any drug, know that fentanyl can be laced into that drug, and it could be the last time that you use it,” Moody stressed.
“No matter your age, no matter where you come from, no matter your job, one pill can kill. Five out of every 10 counterfeit pills found to contain fentanyl pack a lethal dose. So, if you’ve ever thought about getting help, now is the time to do it.”
Motor mayhem
Continuing a run of controversial remarks, Rep. Randy Fine repeated a nickname for the legislation he filed, the “Thump Thump Act,” which would allow drivers to run over protesters.
He used the phrase after a video went viral of a Minnesota municipal candidate, Zach Metzger, tapping on the window of a driver during an anti-Israel protest.
“This is why we need the Thump Thump Act,” posted Fine, an Atlantic Coast Republican.
That implies it should have been legal for a driver to then run over Metzger with his vehicle.
It’s the second time at least that Fine has publicly titled his legislation with the fatalistic name. In July, Fine posted that such a law would legalize running over Black Lives Matter, Antifa and “anyone else who intentionally blocks roads.”
Orlando passports
Florida will soon be home to two U.S. Department of State passport offices. With just 26 regional passport offices in operation today, the Sunshine State will be in parity with Texas and behind only California.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Orlando, announced that a second office will be located on Gatlin Avenue, just north of Orlando International Airport.
“For years, Floridians have shared how frustrating and costly it is to travel to Miami for urgent passport services and since Day One, my office has been working to address those concerns. We worked through the gridlock and chaos in Washington to deliver a solution, and today’s announcement of the location for the Orlando passport office puts us one step closer to finally making these services accessible to our community,” Frost said.
“Starting in 2027, this new location will save families the time, stress and cost of an eight-hour round trip to Miami by bringing this vital service closer to home for folks right here in Orlando, but also across the Sunshine State and the Southeast.”
Frost in 2023 convinced the Miami office to offer passports with weekend appointments in Orlando, which has successfully demonstrated that Florida needs a second office.
Tax crackdown
Will artificial intelligence soon double-check Americans’ tax returns?
Rep. Vern Buchanan sees potential. He introduced the Digital Evaluation for Tax Enforcement and Compliance Tracking Act (DETECT) Act (HR 4974), a bill that utilizes AI to identify tax fraud on behalf of the IRS.
“The IRS identified over $9.1 billion in fraud from tax and financial crimes in Fiscal Year 2024 alone,” the Longboat Key Republican said.
“We have a responsibility to protect hardworking Americans by ensuring their tax dollars are used wisely and the government operates at peak efficiency.”
Buchanan, the Vice Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, filed the bill with Rep. David Schweikert, an Arizona Republican who chairs the Oversight Subcommittee on Ways and Means.
Introducing co-sponsors include Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican who recently earned a seat on the Ways and Means Committee.
Buchanan said the DETECT Act would “harness emerging artificial intelligence capabilities to strengthen fraud detection, cut waste and ensure the IRS can conduct efficient, thorough investigations to protect American taxpayer dollars.”
He said the legislation would empower the IRS to crack down on tax fraud, which costs the federal government billions of dollars each year, including $2.3 billion in 2020 alone.
Recognizing Myakka
A member of Florida’s congressional delegation wants to navigate the federal course for naming the Myakka River as a “Wild and Scenic River.”
Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, led a letter to the House Natural Resources Committee encouraging advancement of the Myakka Wild and Scenic River Act (HR 642).
“Designating the Sarasota segment of the Myakka River as a Partnership Wild and Scenic River is essential to preserve this waterway for local wildlife and residents of Southwest Florida,” Steube said. “I call on the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the Committee on Natural Resources as a whole to advance my bill to protect the Myakka River.”
Conservative groups and governments back the legislation, including the Myakka River Management Coordinating Council, Sarasota County Commission, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Big Waters Land Trust, Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership, League of Women Voters of Sarasota County and American Rivers.
Bench warner
Federal judges met with Donalds in the courthouse in downtown Fort Myers, within the Naples Republican’s district. There, he praised magistrates on the bench but suggested that the judiciary branch had at times overstepped its role.
“Rogue federal judges have weaponized their benches for politics. This must end,” Donalds said. “Thank you to U.S. District Court Magistrate Judges Nicholas Mizell and Kyle Dudek for your hard work on behalf of our Southwest Florida community. It was great to meet with you and your clerks in downtown Fort Myers.”
Covert Cuba partners?
Rep. María Elvira Salazar said it’s time that companies evading U.S. sanctions against Cuba suffer a consequence.
The Coral Gables Republican sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, urging an investigation of South Florida businesses wrongly doing business with entities tied to the Cuban regime.
“My constituents want their government to look into this flaunting of the law,” Salazar said. “We cannot permit possible accomplices of tyranny to enrich themselves at the expense of the Cuban people’s struggle for freedom. Every dollar that slips through sanctions undermines U.S. policy and strengthens the hand of oppressors in Havana.”
She noted that individuals like Jorge Javier Rodríguez Cabrera, who has known connections to the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, have been found in the U.S. and detained. That acquaintance should damage, Salazar said, the operations of any business dealing with him.
“Behind the façade of regular businessmen, the reality is that most of these enterprises have been founded by individuals closely connected to the regime,” Salazar wrote.
Pressure on Maduro
Just as Trump discusses renaming the Defense Department once again as the Department of War, the military sent its largest contingent of warships off the shores of Venezuela. Several members of Florida’s congressional delegation say that’s an important show of force.
“As a Member of the Armed Services Committee, I can confirm this is the largest military presence we have ever had off the coast of Venezuela,” posted Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Miami-Dade Republican. “Nicolas Maduro leads the criminal Cartel de los Soles and is directly responsible for flooding America with lethal drugs. His time is up.”
The administration has stepped up pressure in recent weeks to push aside Maduro, who claimed a re-election victory last year despite international observers and the U.S. government stating that opposition leader Edmundo González won the race.
Bondi announced this month that the Justice Department had increased its bounty on Maduro, for drug trafficking charges, to $50 million. Lawmakers said now is the time to step up pressure on all fronts against Maduro.
“We’ve seen President Trump once again take bold action by deploying U.S. warships near Venezuela to cut off the trafficking of deadly drugs at the source. At the same time, we are celebrating the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act — a critical new law I proudly co-sponsored,” Moody said.
“Together, these actions send a clear message: America’s days of turning a blind eye to drug trafficking are over. This law ensures federal agents and prosecutors have the tools to hold these traffickers accountable, just like we’ve done here in Florida. Combined with President Trump’s leadership, we are saving lives, shutting down the cartels, and making communities safer ahead of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.”
On this day
Aug. 26, 1794 — “George Washington expresses determination to subdue Whiskey Rebellion” via History.com — Washington wrote to Henry Lee, Virginia’s Governor and a former General, regarding the insurrection, the first significant test of Washington’s authority as President. In the letter, Washington declared that he had no choice but to act to subdue the “insurgents,” fearing they would otherwise “shake the government to its foundation.” The Whiskey Rebellion was the product of growing discontent, which had been expressed as early as 1791, of grain farmers who resented a federal tax imposed on their distillery products. As growers threatened federal tax collectors with physical harm, Washington initially attempted to prosecute the resisters through the court system.
Aug. 26, 1964 — “Democrats nominate Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey at Convention geared to middle-road campaign” via CQ Almanac — For President and Vice President, the Democrats nominated a native Southerner and a leading Northern liberal — President Johnson of Texas and Senate Majority Whip Humphrey of Minnesota. Both of the nominees were men who had sought in recent years to widen their constituencies so that they would be acceptable in all parts of the Union — Johnson as Vice Presidential nominee with John Kennedy in 1960 and as President who won approval of the Civil Rights Act; Humphrey as the onetime fiery liberal who led the Senate floor fight for the Civil Rights Act without offending Southern sensibilities.
Happy birthday
Best wishes to Rep. Scott Franklin, who turned 61 on Saturday, Aug. 23.
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Peter Schorsch publishes Delegation, compiled by Jacob Ogles, edited and assembled by Phil Ammann and Ryan Nicol.
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