Florida Politics and Policy

A federal judge in Fort Myers has opened a two‑day hearing on whether immigrants held at Florida’s state‑run Everglades detention center, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' are being unlawfully denied access to their lawyers. Civil‑rights attorneys are seeking a temporary injunction requiring the DeSantis‑built facility to provide attorney access comparable to federally run ICE centers, arguing that three‑day advance appointment rules, frequent last‑minute transfers and long scheduling delays have prevented detainees from meeting counsel before critical deadlines, violating their First Amendment rights. State officials deny restricting access and say the protocols are driven by security and staffing needs, while federal defendants argue any limits are permissible so long as they are reasonably related to 'legitimate penological interest.' ICE Miami deputy field office director Juan Lopez Vega, who tried unsuccessfully to quash a subpoena, is among those expected to testify, and the case proceeds alongside other federal suits that have challenged the facility’s authority to operate and its environmental review. The outcome will help determine how far states can go in running their own immigration lockups and what minimum lawyer‑access standards apply when they do, issues that are drawing intense scrutiny amid Trump‑era crackdowns and reports of due‑process failures in remote detention sites.