Faith and activism intersected in the Everglades over the weekend, as hundreds of people braved a sweltering afternoon to take part in the first Catholic mass held outside Alligator Alcatraz.

Organized by Palm Beach County's Guatemalan Maya Center, the ceremony was in protest of the reportedly harsh conditions inside, where over 700 immigrants are in custody — and many allegedly without proper access to legal counsel.

The mass on Saturday came just days before a federal judge is expected to rule on an environmental lawsuit looking to close down the facility, and on the back of Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing a second new detention center in north Florida.

From late morning, attendees from across the state began to gather under a makeshift tent across the road from the entrance to the det

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