New Delhi, July 13 -- Democratic lawmakers finally entered Florida's controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center on Saturday after being blocked earlier. What they saw horrified them, according to reports.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called conditions "vile," with 32 men crammed into cage-like units sharing just three toilet-sinks. Temperatures hit 83degF in supposedly air-conditioned areas, with grasshoppers swarming everywhere.

Though guards prevented direct talks with detainees, Rep. Maxwell Frost heard shouts of "I'm an American!" and chants of "Libertad!" (freedom). Florida Democrats had sued to access the facility after being turned away on July 3.

Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia saw the same facility differe...