U.S. government lawyers say detainees at the Florida Everglades immigration detention center, known as "Alligator Alcatraz," likely include people who have never been in removal proceedings. This contradicts Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's claims since the facility opened in July. The U.S. Department of Justice made this admission Thursday in a court filing. They argue that detainees don't have enough in common to be certified as a class in a lawsuit over access to attorneys. Civil rights groups allege detainees have been denied proper access to legal counsel, violating their constitutional rights. DeSantis's office hasn't responded to requests for comment.

A federal official confirmed Thursday that Florida received FEMA reimbursement for the Everglades detention center. The funds -- $608 million, all the funds the state requested — were received Tuesday, the day before the government shutdown.Elise Bennett, Florida director and a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the information confirms the group’s contentions and backs up a lawsuit the group filed.

Detainees arriving at the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades are given color-coded uniforms and segregated based on criminal history and flight risk. That is according to a handbook made public as part of a lawsuit over attorney access at the site known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Civil rights and environmental groups have filed three lawsuits over conditions. In one lawsuit, civil rights groups argued the facility operates outside federal law. They asked a federal judge in Fort Myers this week to stop the facility from holding detainees. A different federal judge ordered it closed in August for environmental reasons, but it remains open pending appeals.

Over the last five months, Florida law enforcement officials have arrested more than 6,000 people suspected of being in the country illegally, a U.S. Border Patrol official announced Friday. The announcement comes as the state continues its aggressive approach to help carry out President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. Florida's total is in comparison to the more than 5,000 arrests carried out over a three-month period in the Los Angeles area, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, he declared a commitment to tightening immigration policies and enhancing border security. The administration has followed through on its promise to ramp up deportations, and recent military strikes on boats departing Venezuela are demonstrations of its willingness to act upon its goal of targeting what they claim are drug smugglers from ‘cartels or other organizations.’ The administration has also designated six Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations so the question remains whether it will take similar military action in Mexico. So, what effect have these kinds of policies had on our relationship with Mexico and other countries in Latin America, and how people in those countries perceive the United States?

A Bonita Springs man who was taken into ICE detention in February says that during his three months in custody, he was mistreated so badly, he nearly died.

For a student from Myanmar who was accepted to USF, Trump's travel ban means he can't come.

Some of the highest-ranking U.S. Catholic bishops and nuns on the front lines of America's immigration conflict gathered in Washington to decry the Trump administration's hard-line policies. The religious leaders condemned Trump's immigration crackdown, saying its tearing apart families, inciting fear and upending American church life. They shared how they've supported immigrants who are wary of taking their children to school, and going to work or church for fear of being detained and deported. A Trump administration move gives immigration officers more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship. It has been challenged in court by faith groups representing millions of Americans.

Attorneys are still facing obstacles in contacting clients at the immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida. That's according to new court papers filed Thursday. The filings say detainees are often transferred just before scheduled lawyer visits, denying them legal representation. The new court papers were filed a week after a federal appellate court allowed the facility to continue operations by staying a lower court's injunction ordering the center to wind down. Lawyers also claim U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement omits detainee information from its online locator system, complicating efforts to locate their clients.