MIAMI — A federal judge has issued an order temporarily halting construction at an immigration center in Florida's Everglades.

The judge said the addition of lighting, paving, fencing, fill, and other building on the site must stop while she hears a challenge to the facility brought by environmental groups. However, immigration detentions and other operations at the facility will continue as the legal process moves ahead.

In a lawsuit, Friends of the Everglades, the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice and the Miccosukee Tribe say the rushed construction of the facility — dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' by state officials — without public input or an environmental impact statement violates federal law.

The facility, which has tents and caged cells for up to 5,000 immigration deta

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