MIAMI – Florida Democratic Representatives Darren Soto, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxwell Frost, and Jared Moskowitz, along with a bipartisan Florida legislative delegation, launched an investigation into inhumane conditions at the newly opened detention center in the Everglades.
The detention center referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” has been a controversial topic among many, with Rep. Soto calling it a “DANGEROUS POLITICAL STUNT.”
“The Everglades Detention Center is a danger to federal agents, the Florida National Guard, ICE detainees, and other contractors. The facility is built on a flood plain in the Everglades during hurricane season, yet it can only withstand a Category 2 Hurricane. He said. “All water must be trucked in daily because the facility has no access to local water systems or sewers. The facility also has little to no access to electrical systems and is run by dozens of electric generators.”
Soto initially planned to conduct the inspection unannounced; however, the state learned about the growing investigation and scheduled a planned tour of "Alligator Alcatraz" for the same day.
Despite this, Soto still asserted that ICE was holding detainees in inhumane conditions.
“There are thousands of ICE detainees at the facility, with 32 detainees held in each cage. According to a thermometer brought by Rep. Wasserman Schultz, the temperature was 83 degrees in the cage area and 85 degrees in the medical tent. It has a capacity of 4,000 beds with the potential to add 1,000 more,” he stated.
He interviewed a handful of the detainees at the facility, where many complained of having non-functioning toilets and feces overflow, mosquito-infested conditions, meager meals only provided once a day despite having a fully functioning kitchen, etc.
The congressman claims he observed all of these complaints during the inspection.
Soto concluded his report by saying, “The facility endangers federal officers and ICE detainees and should be closed.”
