... But a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday that the detention centre can remain open while a Trump administration appeal of the shutdown order is being heard.

The majority ruled that the project — which has been funded by the state of Florida — did not trigger the kind of environmental review needed for federally funded construction projects.

Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit arguing that the facility threatens the sensitive Everglades wetlands ecosystem and was hastily built without the legally required environmental impact studies. ...