Main holder
A detention center administered by Florida, built in just over a week on a remote landing floor in the Everglades – and designed to house thousands of immigrants – has been described as “disgusting” and inhuman by critics, but could serve as a model for similar facilities in other states.
Key data
The site, with a cost of 450 million dollars, was built in an abandoned airport installation of 39 square miles with a 10,500 feet track in just eight days, said Governor Ron Desantis during a visit on July 1 with President Donald Trump.
It is composed of large white tents, rows of literas and metal mesh enclosures, with capacity for 3,000 detainees and a possible expansion to 5,000, according to an official of the National Security Department (DHS) to CNN.
The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, nicknamed the site “Aligator Alcatraz” in an advertisement video published on June 19 in X, where he referred to his isolation and the fauna that surrounds him: “Without where to go, without where to hide.”
The secretary of the DHS, Kristi Noem, said in X that the center is financed “largely” by the Refuges and Services Program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
After touring the site with Desantis, Trump praised the center qualifying it as “very professional, very well done,” NPR said, and called an example of “government working together.”
But Democratic and detainee legislators interviewed by the media describe the conditions as “disgusting”: overcrowded, with excess of heat and without adequate access to bathrooms or showers.
Lee: Cuban reggaeton detained in ‘Aligator Alcatraz’ denounces that they are treated as ‘dogs’
Who are being arrested in ‘Aligator Alcatraz’?
A list of 700 current and potential detainees obtained by the Miami Herald He revealed that more than 250 have no criminal convictions in the US or outstanding charges, although Trump, Desantis and Noem claim that the detention center is necessary to detain “violent” and “upset psychopaths”. Hundreds of detainees without convictions or criminal charges have migratory violations, and some are asylum seekers. Approximately one third of the list has criminal convictions, with charges ranging from attempted murder to traffic offenses. Tricia McLaughlin, undersecretary of the DHS, told the Miami Herald that many detainees described as “non -criminals” were “terrorists, human rights rapists, gang members and more.” He added: “Each of these individuals committed a crime when illegally entering this country” and that 80% of ICE arrests involve people with criminal convictions or pending positions.
What do detainees about life in ‘Aligator Alcatraz’ say?
Immigrants arrested in the installation of the Everglades have described the cells as unhealthy and “inhuman”, with a Venezuelan detainee who described the cells as “zoo cages” in interviews with Associated Press. The detainee said that each cell houses eight beds and is infested with mosquitoes, crickets and frogs, and that the wrists and ankles of the detainees are handcuffed every time they meet with immigration agents. A 28 -year -old green card resident said that the detainees “have no way to bathe, or wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with urine and excrement.” He also said that they give them two minutes to eat up to date and that “meals have worms.” Lawyers told AP that the rights to due process are being violated, with lawyers waiting for hours to talk to customers, some of only 15 years and without criminal charges.
How do the authorities respond to these criticisms?
The Trump administration and its allies defend the creation and operation of the installation in the Everglades, presenting it as a model for the application of the immigration law in the future. Desantis, at a press conference, highlighted the security of the site: “They are not going anywhere once they are there, unless you want them to go somewhere, because, good luck arriving at civilization.” In an interview with NBC News, Noem rejected criticism about site conditions, insisting that the installation exceeds federal standards and disputing that it is described as a prison. He also encouraged undocumented immigrants to self-lead, saying that this would increase his chances of legally re-entereding the US in the future.
Are other states considering camps such as ‘Aligator Alcatraz’?
Noem said at a press conference on Saturday that he is “holding ongoing conversations” with five other Republican governors “about facilities that could have”, but did not specify what states. The South Carolina Republican Governor’s office, Henry McMaster, said that his state will possibly build a place similar to “Aligator Alcatraz” to stop undocumented immigrants, he reported Palmetto Politics.
Main critics
Democratic legislators who visited the site told AP that the installation was inhuman and unhealthy. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) Described the space as “really disturbing” and “disgusting”, adding that “it must be closed immediately.” Schultz said there were Jaula style units with 32 men sharing three toilet-lavamanos devices, with a temperature of 83 degrees Fahrenheit at the entrance of the accommodation area and 85 degrees in the medical income area. The Maxwell Alejandro Frost representative (D-Fla.) Said a detainee shouted: “I am a American citizen,” according to AP. But state senator Blaise Ingroglia, a Republican, said that the rhetoric of the Democrats “does not coincide with reality” and that the installation is well managed and is safe.
What companies are helping to build the installation?
At least nine contractors from Florida participated in the construction of ‘Aligator Alcatraz’, including CDR Maguire and CDR Health – whose executive directors donated almost 2 million dollars to PACS that support the Desantis campaign for governor and the Republican party of Florida, reports the Miami Herald. Matt Michelsen, founder of Gothams LLC another contractor involved in the creation of the installation – donated $ 25,000 to the Florida Republican Party in 2021 and another 25,000 to the PAC of Desantis in 2022. GardAworld, a large security services company, also gave 5,000 dollars to Desantis in 2018, and will provide correctional personnel to the site, according to sources Herald.
Tangent: American native peoples say that the installation is in sacred lands
The location of the installation in the Everglades has caused rejection by the Micho and Seminole tribes, whose leaders affirm that the site is on or near sacred indigenous lands. William Osceola, secretary of the Miccosukee Business Council, told ABC that the center is about 20 minutes by car from the main Miccosukee reserve, and criticized Uthmeier’s characterization on the earth as a place where “there is not much waiting” for the detainees “apart from wealth and pythons”, saying: “If there are only pytons and caimanes, I wonder what I am doing in that area. family in that area for centuries. “
What to watch
Uthmeier, who proposed the detention center, had been a frequent critic of Trump for his policies on COVID-19, abortion and transgender issues during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he was considered the “attack dog” of the then presidential candidate Desantis. As reported Politicohe could be waiting for “Aligator Alcatraz” to help him win Trump’s favor by collaborating in the implementation of his mass deportation plans.
This article was originally published in Forbes US
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