The fate of a makeshift immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” hangs in the balance, as a federal judge considers whether building on sensitive wetlands violated environmental laws.

A federal judge is deciding whether to close or keep open a detention site in the Everglades, which environmentalists and the Miccosukee Tribe claim violates the National Environmental Policy Act and threatens endangered species and tribal homelands.

Alligator Alcatraz came to life in June after Florida's attorney general announced on social media that a detention center would be built in Collier.

Sarasota County sheriff's deputies who have received training from U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement have been posted to Alligator Alcatraz.

Alligator Alcatraz is a temporary migrant detention center near the Florida Everglades. The controversial center reportedly has a capacity of up to 3,000 detainees, housed in FEMA tents and trailers.

A federal judge has ordered officials to produce agreements showing who has legal authority at “Alligator Alcatraz,” an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades.

Religious leaders, advocates and family members of detainees gathered for a vigil outside Alligator Alcatraz. Officials deny their claims.

The Mass will mark the Rev. Frank O'Loughlin's 60th year as a priest, all of them spent serving farmworkers and immigrants across southern Florida.