Detainees Shackled, Starving, and Sleeping in Leaky Tents Amid Florida's Swamp Detention Nightmare Named "Alligator Alcatraz"

In the remote Florida Everglades, detainees at a new state-run immigrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," are facing harsh and chaotic conditions. Opened hastily on July 3 to support Donald Trump's immigration agenda, the facility operates without books, televisions, law libraries, or posted rules. Detainees report sleeping under leaky tents with lights on all night, poor food, limited showers, and lack of medical care. "It's a tinderbox," said detainee Rick Herrera, who described desperate living conditions in repeated calls to a reporter. Some detainees, like Alexander Boni, said they were denied face masks despite the spread of illness. "We're desperate in here," he said.

Though the facility is run by Florida, the federal government has distanced itself. ICE official Thomas Giles emphasized, "The ultimate decision of who to detain belongs to Florida." Most detainees haven't been charged with crimes and are often transferred from local jails for minor infractions. Their absence from ICE databases has made it difficult for family and lawyers to locate them.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a vocal supporter of Trump's immigration crackdown, has proposed opening more such centers despite legal questions. Critics argue immigration detention is a federal responsibility. "States are not permitted to create their own immigration detention system," warned legal scholar Lucas Guttentag.

Inside the center, basic amenities are lacking. Herrera said, "There's no commissary, no Bibles, no outdoor time." Detainees crafted makeshift chess sets from scrap paper and grease. Protesters and relatives gathered outside, including Benita Mendoza, whose husband, a Cuban immigrant, is detained. "He's always asking me, 'What time is it? What day are we in?'" she said, noting he's been deprived of blood pressure medication.

Florida lawmakers have split on the issue. Republican Senator Blaise Ingoglia called the facility "better than my bed at home," while Democrat Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost blasted it as a shameful use of taxpayer money. Despite a projected $450 million annual cost, funded partly through emergency no-bid contracts, state officials insist the facility "meets all required standards." Still, cries of "Libertad!" echo inside its tents.

Link: New York Times