Federal officials confirmed Friday that Florida was approved for a $608 million reimbursement for the costs of building and running an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, exposing "Alligator Alcatraz" to the potential risk of being ordered to close for a second time.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in an email that the state of Florida was awarded its full reimbursement this week.

A Miami judge agreed with environmental groups who sued that the site wasn't given a proper environmental review and directed Florida to wind down operations. An appellate court panel in Atlanta put that on hold, saying the state-run facility didn't need to undergo a federally required environmental impact study because Florida had yet to receive federal money for the project.

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