Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration left many local officials in the dark about the immigration detention center that rose from an isolated airstrip in the Everglades.

Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $20 million in no-bid contracts, including nearly $500,000 for an emergency radio system that was originally designated for disaster preparedness during the active hurricane season.

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."

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