Five Democratic lawmakers in Florida have resorted to suing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) after they were denied entry to the infamous Alligator Alcatraz detention center.
In a joint statement given to the Associated Press, the lawmakers said, “The DeSantis Administration’s refusal to let us in wasn’t some bureaucratic misstep. It was a deliberate obstruction meant to hide what’s really happening behind those gates.”
“There is no statute that permits the Governor to overrule the Legislature’s oversight authority. This lawsuit is about defending the rule of law, protecting vulnerable people inside that facility, and stopping the normalization of executive overreach,” they added.
The lawmakers reportedly attempted to enter the facility on Saturday, where thousands of illegal aliens are being held. After they were denied access, they filed the lawsuit with the state Supreme Court.
“People resort to juvenile name-calling when they have no legal basis to defend their actions. We stand on firm legal ground: the Governor and his agency heads violated Florida law and the state Constitution by blocking legislators from performing our lawful oversight duties,” Democratic state Rep. Ashley Gantt, a lawmaker and attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the petitioners, told the AP in a statement.
DeSantis’ office responded to the lawsuit, calling it “dumb” and “frivolous.”
“The State is looking forward to quickly dispensing with this dumb lawsuit,” DeSantis spokesperson Molly Best said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Townhall covered how Democrats on Capitol Hill completely lost it over Alligator Alcatraz, which sits smack-dab in the middle of the Florida Everglades.
In the letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the lawmakers called the facility an “inhumane stunt.”
“This remote swamp is notorious for oppressive heat, relentless humidity, severe storms, and perilous terrain infested with venomous snakes, disease-carrying insects, and large predatory wildlife, including alligators and crocodiles,” they wrote. “The intentional remote placement of this detention center makes it nearly impossible for separated family members and children to visit their detained loved ones, legal counsel to meet with their clients, and elected officials to provide oversight of the encampment. The deliberate placement of vulnerable immigrants into such a hostile and lethal environment is morally reprehensible, inherently cruel, and starkly violates basic humanitarian standards.”