New York, NY
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida filed a lawsuit as an intervening plaintiff in a case being brought by the Friends of the Everglades, Center for Biological Diversity, and Earthjustice against federal, state, and county agencies over a planned immigrant detention center on the Tribe’s traditional lands.
Florida Tribe Sues Over “Alligator Alcatraz”
The following statement from Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance, can be quoted in full or in part.
“Across the United States, sacred sites are being threatened by development that is happening without the required consent of tribes who have called these lands home since time began.
The Miccosukee Tribe has an inherent right to determine the future of their ancestral homelands. Yet they were not consulted when this huge immigrant detention center was quickly constructed.
The construction of “Alligator Alcatraz” is a violation of the sovereign rights of the Miccosukee and endangers a culturally and ecologically important landscape. It is also a violation of the human rights of immigrants and their families. It is both illegal and immoral.
Time and time again, our sovereign Tribal nations are facing a battle against development and fossil fuel extraction on their homelands that is happening without their consultation or consent. This poses an extreme threat to the sacred lands where our ancestors are buried, our ceremonies are performed, and our traditional foods grow. Consultation and consent is not optional.
The federal government has constitutionally guaranteed treaty and trust obligations to Tribes to hold meaningful consultation with tribes and get their consent on any type of development that impacts their lands.”
Click here to view the Miccosukee Tribe’s press release.
About Native Organizers Alliance
The nation’s leading organization dedicated to building Native power. Through advocacy, capacity building, and campaign support, Native Organizers Alliance amplifies the power of Tribes, organizations, and grassroots movements to drive policy change in Indian Country. Learn more at nativeorganizing.org/.
