Erected on an abandoned airstrip known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, the temporary tent city was thrown together in just eight days after Florida authorities presented the federal government with a “marketing pitch” inspired by President Donald Trump longing for the reopening of the original Alcatraz.

During a guided tour of the facility last month, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Kevin Guthrie allegedly told Eskamani and other lawmakers that Alligator Alcatraz was built at the direct request of the Department of Homeland Security and in compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A judge in Florida heard arguments seeking an injunction to halt the operation and construction of an immigration detention center called "Alligator Alcrataz