An immigration detention facility located at an isolated Everglades airfield surrounded by mosquito-, python- and alligator-filled swamplands is just days away from being operational.

While building is already underway for the Everglades facility, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that his administration is working on erecting a second, state-run immigration center at Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard base located about an hour southwest of Jacksonville.

A proposed immigrant detention center in the Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" is drawing criticism for its potential effect on the ecosystem.