Last week, a shocking new report emerged describing the horrid treatment of immigrants at one privately-run immigration jail in Miami. Inmates have spoken out about the humiliating abuse they suffered. They were made to eat on their hands and knees from styrofoam trays, like animals. This stunning admission should raise immediate alarm over the state’s custody of migrants detained in Florida’s detention centers.
Detainees reported spending up to 12 days in a frigid intake room known as “la hierela,” or the ice box. This tent had no heat or other accommodations, such as bedding or warm clothes provided, forcing people to lie on freezing concrete floors. The frigid conditions and substandard housing have prompted a national outcry from advocates for migrant rights.
Pedro, one of the plaintiffs and former detainees, described his experience in the center.
“We had to eat like animals.” – Pedro
Pedro’s treatment is not an individual exception. It’s emblematic of a disturbing trend found in each of the three jails at the center of this investigation. What to expect Many detainees have found that guards regularly strip them of their dignity in a humiliating manner. Andrea, a fellow detainee, described having to keep track of overcrowding in the visitation spaces.
“By the time I left, almost all the visitation rooms were full. A few were so full men couldn’t even sit, all had to stand.” – Andrea
This overcrowding issue is critical. One report indicates that some migrants waited more than a day on a bus stationed outside of the jail. We saw this happen because there was no room for them on the inside. Congestion on these facilities has increased dramatically to crisis levels. In response, Florida officials want to build a new jail, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Nationally, immigration detention numbers averaged approximately 56,400 per day in mid-June, highlighting a systemic issue that extends beyond Florida’s borders. Detainees at the Broward Transitional Center have routinely been denied adequate medical and psychological care. Through this neglect, the state unconstitutionally exacerbates their desperate, three-fold disadvantageous situation. In April, Marie Ange Blaise, a 44-year-old Haitian woman, died under suspicious circumstances at this facility. Her death is a tragic reminder that the consequences of neglectful treatment can be catastrophic.
These inhumane conditions across these jails have rightly led to condemnation from multiple human rights advocates including the United Nations. Katie Blankenship, a prominent activist, condemned the actions taken under the previous administration, stating:
“The anti-immigrant escalation and enforcement tactics under the [Trump administration] are terrorizing communities and ripping families apart, which is especially cruel in the state of Florida, which thrives because of its immigrant communities.” – Katie Blankenship
This is not the first time we’ve heard allegations of inhumane treatment at Miami’s immigration jail. These claims, if true, call into question the ethics of the current detention practices. Overcrowding and lack of medical care pose lethal threats to people in immigration detention. Dehumanizing treatment puts them at even greater risk to their health and well-being.
“The rapid, chaotic, and cruel approach to arresting and locking people up is literally deadly and causing a human rights crisis that will plague this state and the entire country for years to come.” – Katie Blankenship
The allegations of inhumane treatment at Miami’s immigration jail raise serious questions about the ethical implications of current detention practices. The combination of overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and dehumanizing treatment poses significant risks to the health and well-being of detainees.