A federal judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether to stop construction of an immigration detention center — built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” — because it didn’t follow environmental laws.

A federal judge says state and federal officials need to produce agreements showing who has legal authority over the Florida detention center.

As environmentalists made the case on Wednesday to stop operations, what was most striking was how many significant questions remained unanswered about the immigration detention…