Miami, Florida - Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" migrant detention center is being sued by civil rights lawyers seeking a temporary restraining order based on allegations of constitutional rights violations.

In a virtual hearing in Miami federal court on Monday, civil rights lawyers claimed that detainees had been denied legal representation, were being held without charges, and, in some cases, had had their bond hearings canceled.

The hearing was based on a suit filed on July 16, which argued that migrants were being denied their basic constitutional rights under the First Amendment.

The lawsuit also claimed that "the government's restrictions on detainees' ability to file documents and motions with the immigration court violate the Fifth Amendment right to due process."

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"Alligator Alcatraz" is a detention center for immigrants located in the Florida Everglades. It received its name based on a combination of San Francisco's notorious Alcatraz prison and its location, which is prime alligator territory.

"This is an emergency situation," said American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (ACLU) attorney Eunice Cho during the hearing on Monday.

"Officers at 'Alligator Alcatraz' are going around trying to force people to sign deportation orders without the ability to speak to counsel."

In response, attorney Nicholas Meros, who represents Floridian Governor Ron DeSantis, stressed that video conference rooms had been set up to allow detainees to talk with legal counsel.

US District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz has not yet made a ruling on the restraining order, but warned the plaintiffs against transforming the court "into the warden of 'Alligator Alcatraz.'"

Ruiz requested more information about the detention center and said that the current lack of transparency around "Alligator Alcatraz" is "part of the problem."