Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz, an immigration detention facility situated in the Everglades wetlands, have reported troubling conditions amidst allegations of an uprising. Opened on July 2, the facility has faced scrutiny not only for its treatment of detainees but for breaching environmental laws, resulting in a federal judge ordering its closure within 60 days.
The facility is operated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). They run it on the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s behalf. Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis on Alligator Alcatraz’s opening day. Since then, the facility has been the catalyst for widespread and often violent protests and rebellions among detainees.
According to the advocacy group Freedom for Immigrants, detainees have suffered severe abuse, increasing tension within the detention facility. That tension boiled over a few days ago, when a group of migrants started yelling for “freedom” in response to one individual getting word of a relative’s death. In response, guards released tear gas on the prisoners and those supporting them. They allegedly participated in a group smothering of detainees to quell what others referred to as a mini-insurrection.
Noelle Damico, a longtime advocate for detainees, said the situation remains dire.
“People held inside the facility were on hunger strike for more than 14 days, despite the DeSantis administration denying it. What they apparently did was ship people who were hunger striking out to other facilities, Krome [in Miami], to Texas etc., to break it up,” – Noelle Damico.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management has since denied accusations of a revolt at Alligator Alcatraz. Stephanie Hartman, the FDEM’s director of communications, downplayed concerns saying that detainees “live in sanitary, safe and secure environment.” She added that the guards receive extensive training to make for the most impactful officers.
“[An uprising] would not surprise me given the abuses that people have experienced,” – Noelle Damico added.
The unrest occurs against the backdrop of long-standing protests at the facility, where activists have kept a vigil since the facility’s creation. Detainees have led hunger strikes as well, drawing attention to their suffering. As one former detainee recently recounted, the violence was pervasive and vicious inside the facility.
“They’ve beaten everyone here, a lot of people have bled. Brother, teargas. We are immigrants, we are not criminals, we are not murderers,” – a detainee.
In a press conference yesterday, Governor DeSantis announced that state officials are expediting removals from Alligator Alcatraz. They plan to have zero people remaining there in only three days.
“We’ve increased the pace of the removals from there,” – DeSantis remarked.
The deadline for their closure is rapidly approaching. The latter condition creates a tremendous political touchstone for the humane treatment of detainees, garnering enormous public attention.