Florida Democratic lawmakers will conduct an "official legislative visit" at Alligator Alcatraz, the state's controversial migrant detention facility, amid safety concerns.
State Senators Shevrin Jones and Carlos Guillermo Smith, together with state Reps. Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon, and Michele Rayner, plan to inspect the Ochopee center Thursday afternoon.
The safety visit comes a day after Alligator Alcatraz received its first van-load of undocumented immigrants, and two days after its grand opening was criticized for slight flooding in heavy-duty tents that officials had claimed could withstand a Category 2 hurricane.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management said they tightened any seams that could have contributed to water leakage soon after.
"What's happening here is un-American," the lawmakers said in a joint statement Thursday. "Reports of extreme heat, flooding, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations demand immediate oversight."
Alligator Alcatraz opened eight days after construction began. Located deep within the Everglades, environmental groups have filed a lawsuit claiming it will damage the area's fragile ecosystem, though state officials insist it won't.
Though President Donald Trump toured the facility with Gov. Ron DeSantis and White House press on Tuesday, the day of the hours-long grand opening, it remains unclear if the Democrats will be able to conduct a similar examination now that migrants have entered the detention center.
Attorney General James Uthmeier, who concocted Alligator Alcatraz with federal authorities earlier this month, thinks they may need an alternative method to enter the center.
"I hope they have an air boat," he posted to X.
