A US federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration and Florida state government from bringing any new migrants to the detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” and ordered much of the site to be dismantled, effectively shuttering the facility.

Florida’s government swiftly announced it would appeal the decision.

The detention centre was hastily assembled in just eight days in June with bunk beds, wire cages and large white tents at an abandoned airfield in Florida’s Everglades wetlands, home to a large population of alligators.

President Donald Trump, who has vowed to deport millions of undocumented migrants, visited the centre last month, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards.

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The White House has nicknamed the facility “Alligator Alcatraz,” a reference to the former island prison in San Francisco Bay that Trump has said he wants to reopen.

The centre was planned to hold 3,000 migrants, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

But it has come under fire from both environmentalists and critics of Trump’s crackdown on migration, who consider the facility to be inhumane.

The new ruling on Thursday by District Judge Kathleen Williams comes after a lawsuit filed against the Trump administration by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity.

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The environmental groups argue that the detention centre threatens the sensitive Everglades ecosystem and was hastily built without conducting the legally required environmental impact studies.

– Sixty-day deadline –

Earlier this month, Williams had ordered further construction at the centre to be temporarily halted.

Now she has ordered the Trump administration and the state of Florida — which is governed by Republican Ron DeSantis — to remove all temporary fencing installed at the centre within 60 days, as well as all lighting, generators and waste and sewage treatment systems.

The order also prohibits “bringing any additional persons onto the… site who were not already being detained at the site.”

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Several detainees have spoken with AFP about the conditions at the centre, including a lack of medical care, mistreatment and the alleged violation of their legal rights.

“They don’t even treat animals like this. This is like torture,” said Luis Gonzalez, a 25-year-old Cuban who called AFP from inside the centre.

He recently shared a cell with about 30 people, a space enclosed by chain-linked fencing that he compared to a chicken coop.

The Trump administration has said it wants to make this a model for other detention centres across the country.

AFP

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties.

The limit, which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City, will not be binding, and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance.

The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems,” Mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday.

The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00 pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00 pm.

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The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic.

“I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X.

“In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another.

Others said smartphone use should be a decision for families to make for themselves.

The angry response prompted the mayor to clarify that the two-hour limit was not mandatory, emphasising that the guidelines “acknowledge smartphones are useful and indispensable in daily life”.

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The ordinance will be considered next week, and if passed, it will come into effect in October.

In 2020, the western Kagawa region issued a first-of-its-kind ordinance calling for children to be limited to an hour a day of gaming during the week, and 90 minutes during school holidays.

It also suggested children aged 12 to 15 should not be allowed to use smartphones later than 9:00 pm, with the limit rising to 10:00 pm for children between 15 and 18.

Japanese youth spend slightly over five hours on average a day online on weekdays, according to a survey published in March by the Children and Families Agency.

Pope Leo XIV has declared Friday, August 22, a global day of prayer and fasting for peace, coinciding with the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Pope made this announcement on Wednesday during his General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, as reported by Vatican News.

The appeal comes as violence continues to escalate in Ukraine, the Holy Land, and other regions facing armed conflict.

Humanitarian organisations have warned of worsening conditions, with growing numbers of displaced people and civilians caught in the crossfire.

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Against this backdrop, the Pope’s call is a spiritual response aimed at awakening both consciences and actions.

“Too many innocent lives are being lost, and too many families are bearing the weight of wars that seem endless.

“We cannot remain indifferent,” Pope Leo said.

He urged the faithful to participate through fasting, prayer, and acts of charity, stressing that these spiritual disciplines are not symbolic gestures alone but catalysts for change.

The chosen date, August 22, coincides with the liturgical celebration of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast that honours Mary as a figure of intercession and peace.

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By aligning the day with this Marian feast, Pope Leo highlighted the Church’s tradition of entrusting global concerns to Mary’s care.

“Let us ask Mary, Queen of Peace, to help nations rediscover the path of peace. May she intercede for people torn apart by hatred and violence,” he added.

Leaders from conflict zones quickly voiced their support.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said, “Prayer is not a magic formula, but it opens hearts where distrust and hatred have grown. It is a step toward rebuilding trust.”

READ ALSO:Pope Leo XIV Outlines A Path For A Modern Church That Follows Francis’ Steps

In Ukraine, Bishop Vitalij Skomarovskyj welcomed the initiative as a sign of solidarity, saying, “This call reminds us we are not forgotten. Prayer and fasting have great power; they can change the course of history.”

Alongside his call, Pope Leo reflected on the Church’s teaching that peace cannot thrive on justice alone; it also requires forgiveness.

Drawing from St. John Paul II’s legacy, he said, “True peace cannot exist without justice, but neither can it survive without forgiveness. Forgiveness is not surrender; it is the strength that prevents new wounds.”

This message resonates amid current debates over war reparations, ceasefire negotiations, and transitional justice processes in conflict regions.