In pursuit of immigration enforcement, the DeSantis administration quickly seized Everglades land to construct the center. A fleet of trucks transported crucial equipment into the sensitive area. Meanwhile, environmentalists sued to prevent the facility from operating, citing potential ecological damage.

The conservation photographer was more than 15 miles from the state’s newly built immigrant detention center, dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. But just before 10 p.m. on July 1, he could see the site’s glow with his naked eye.