A tribal leader told Newsweek that he and members in the Big Cypress National Preserve of Florida, which is adjacent to the state's Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention center, are seeking legal remedies against officials because environmental efforts are taking "a huge step backward."

A group of Florida Democrats in Congress introduced a bill to cut off funding for Alligator Alcatraz and any immigration detention facility located in or near the Everglades. The bill aims to ensure access, public disclosure on how it operates, and Congressional oversight.

Some people detained at the facility have violent criminal histories. But data and news reports about the first month’s arrivals show the majority of Alligator Alcatraz’s detainees do not have U.S. criminal convictions.

At least five Republican governors are reportedly considering building large-scale immigration detention centers modeled after Florida’s

Interviews with several news outlets have documented everything from insect infestations to widespread problems with plumbing. And new evidence has emerged that many of the detainees at Alligator Alcatraz may not even have a criminal record.

Trump administration officials want “Alligator Alcatraz” to be a blueprint, but Democrats are pushing back on expansion

Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, is surrounded by swamps infested with dangerous alligators and pythons.

The eight Democrats said Thursday they introduced the “No Cages in the Everglades Act." The bill faces long odds of passage in the House, where Republicans hold a 220-212 majority.

The location of Trump's immigrant detention center has a painful history of incarceration, abuse, and private interests.