Gov. Ron DeSantis has said the location in the rugged and remote Everglades was meant as a deterrent against escape, much like the island prison in California that Republicans named it after. The detention center has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, according to a public database.

A federal judge in Miami will hear arguments on Monday in a case over the controversial immigration detention center in the middle of the Florida Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz."

The hearings got tense at times, with District Judge Kathleen Williams sharply questioning state and federal officials about who ultimately “runs the