A coalition of Senate and House Democrats is pushing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for more information regarding the uses of the controversial Everglades Detention Facility, also known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’
Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (D) spearheaded a letter to the heads of DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and FEMA, where lawmakers expressed concern that the Trump administration’s use of state-run immigration detention models could violate federal law and reduce federal accountability for conditions at immigrant detention centers.
In the letter, the coalition demanded that the Department of Homeland Security provide more information about the facility by September 3. They also asked the Trump administration to identify the legal authority that allows Florida to run the facility and confirm the facility meets federal standards for the treatment of detainees.
The coalition also requested more information about legal access for detainees at the facility and the site’s environmental impact. A federal judge temporarily paused further construction over environmental concerns, and a lawsuit over legal access was partially dismissed after the Trump administration established a nearby immigration court to handle issues stemming from Alligator Alcatraz.
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, unimpressed, remarked that the facility “threatens human rights, due process, Tribal interests, and this sensitive environment.”
In response to the lawmakers, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the facility complies with federal detention standards with no further comments.
Likewise, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has praised "Alligator Alcatraz" as the best way for Florida to work with the Trump administration to carry out deportations, and has encouraged other states to follow suit.
"I know that the administration has called on other states to follow suit and expand this type of capacity, and I would just reiterate that call. I think it's important. It will make a difference," DeSantis said at a press conference at the detention facility in July. "The whole purpose is to make this a place that can facilitate increased frequency and numbers of deportations of illegal aliens."
