A federal judge may pause operations at Alligator Alcatraz as protests grow and nonprofits sue over conditions and impact.

A group of Florida Democratic state lawmakers was blocked from entering the Alligator Alcatraz immigrant detention facility in the Everglades Thursday, despite citing legal authority for an official legislative site visit.

Alligator Alcatraz is not just a moniker designed to sell political merchandise. It is actually the official name of the state-run immigration detention facility that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration built to help detain more people caught in President Donald Trump’s immigration sweeps.