Florida officials argue a lawsuit over the Everglades detention center was filed in the wrong court, as environmental groups seek to halt expansion.

Critics have condemned the facility as a cruel and inhumane threat to the ecologically sensitive wetlands, while Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials have defended it as part of the state's aggressive push to support President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

The lawsuit says attorneys have been repeatedly turned away from the detention camp and had virtual meetings mysteriously canceled.