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NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Inside Trump's 'Alligator Alcatraz': Detainees Claim Abuse In Legal Black Hole
At US President Donald Trump's new migrant detention centre in the Florida Everglades, time has no discernible meaning. Prisoners are barely able to see sunlight in the windowless space, living under fluorescent lamps that are always on, with no clocks or anything else by which they might mark the days. Several detainees, their family members and lawyers have denounced appalling conditions at the facility, nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz" by an administration that has likened undocumented migrants to "animals" and promised to deport millions. AFP spoke with several "Alligator Alcatraz" detainees by phone and obtained further information about conditions there from relatives, lawyers and legal documents. Detainees spoke of facilities covered in filth, a lack of medical care, mistreatment, and the violation of their legal rights. "They don't even treat animals like this. This is like torture," said Luis Gonzalez, a 25-year-old Cuban who called AFP from inside the centre. Florida authorities built the facilities in eight days -- opening the centre on July 2 at an abandoned airfield in the Everglades wetlands. Governed by Republican Ron DeSantis, the southeastern state signed an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented foreigners, a power that until now had been reserved for federal authorities. Now, the Trump administration wants to make this a model for other detention centres across the country. Like 'murderers' Gonzalez arrived in the United States in 2022 and settled in Florida after authorities released him while his asylum application was being reviewed. Last month, when an immigration judge dismissed his case, ICE agents arrested him and took him to "Alligator Alcatraz." They kept him chained by his hands, waist, and feet on a bus with other detainees for more than a day before taking him to one of the large tents that house eight cells each, he said. "I haven't seen sunlight in the 14 days I've been here," he said. "When they take us to the dining hall, they take us with our hands on our heads as if we were murderers." He lives in a cell with about 30 people, a space enclosed by chain-linked fencing that he compares to a chicken coop. It is hardly ever cleaned, he says, not even the three toilets that everyone shares. At the time of the call, Gonzalez had not showered for a week. The days are hot, with swarms of mosquitoes in the cells, and the nights are not much better. - Beatings, attempted suicide - Gonzalez and other detainees have denounced the lack of medical care available at the site. Michael Borrego Fernandez, 35, complained of pain but was not treated until he began to bleed, according to his lawyers and legal documents. He underwent emergency surgery for haemorrhoids, only to have to be hospitalised again when he was not given antibiotics and his wounds became infected. Some prisoners, such as Marcos Puig, 31, have rebelled. Before a visit from officials, guards isolated him to prevent him from protesting, he said by phone from another Florida facility where he is now being held. Outraged, he broke a toilet in his new cell, prompting a dozen guards to enter, handcuff him, and punch and kick him all over his body. Afterwards, he says, they left him kneeling for about 12 hours in a space without cameras or air conditioning before transferring him to another detention facility. "I arrived here broken. I was covered in bruises," he said. Another inmate, Gonzalo Almanza Valdes, reported seeing guards "beat up" detainees, according to a recorded phone call with his wife. Desperation has pushed some to the limit. On Sunday, Sonia Bichara called her partner, detainee Rafael Collado. Through the speakerphone, the 63-year-old man said, "I have tried to kill myself twice, I have cut my veins." When contacted by AFP, Florida authorities denied allegations of abuse. 'Completely illegal' Activists and lawyers are demanding the closure of the facilities, which are facing two lawsuits. The first alleges that migrants' right to due process is not being respected. "There are people who have been there since they arrived and have still not seen a judge. And that cannot be, it is completely illegal," said Magdalena Cuprys, Gonzalez's lawyer. She said detainees were unable to request bail or a case review because the courts that should be hearing the cases are not doing so, claiming they have no jurisdiction over the state-operated centre. The second lawsuit alleges that the facility threatens the Everglades ecosystem. Last week, a federal judge ordered a 14-day suspension of all new construction at the centre while she reviews the case.
Hindustan Times
10 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
JD Vance's Secret Service asks Cotswolds locals for social media details as VP holidays in England: report
US Vice President JD Vance is holidaying in the posh and picturesque area of Cotswolds in the UK with his family — but his arrival has sparked discontent among locals. Once a peaceful escape from city life, the villages around Chipping Norton and Charlbury are now on high alert with a massive police presence. US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance are holidaying in the UK (Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP)(AFP) But that's not the worst of it. Some locals allege that JD Vance's huge security convoy took up parking spaces reserved for people with mobility issues at Daylesford Organic, near Chipping Norton. According to a report in the Daily Mail, they cordoned off the whole area during the veep's first full day of family holiday in England. 'Police knocking on every door' Perhaps more shockingly, Vance's Secret Service agents have been accused of knocking on the doors of locals and demanding their names, personal details and social media handles. 'We have had the police knocking on every door,' a dog walker and a resident of the hamlet of Dean, where the Vance family is staying, told Observer. 'They wanted the names of everybody living there and details of their social media. I know several people refused,' he claimed. 'We asked them if they were protecting us, or Vance. At least they were honest and said it is for him and that it will all be passed on to the American security people.' The claims drew the ire of Britons who asked why a foreign service was questioning them. Police denies claims However, British police working with Vance's Secret Service have denied these claims. A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police told the Daily Mail: '[We] are supporting the United States during the Vice President's visit to our area to ensure the safety of all involved. 'A restricted access area has been put in place in a small part of Dean as part of our operation. 'We spoke to affected residents to ensure we are able to facilitate movement within the restricted access area. Residents were under no obligation to answer any questions and were not asked about social media.'
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Time of India
'Every time Brits and Americans fight together…': Vance speaks to US Air Force troops in UK
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, addressing American soldiers at a military base in England on Wednesday, said President Donald Trump told him a short while ago that his mission was to bring peace to Europe again. "I just talked to him right before I came on the stage, and he said very simply that we are going to make it our mission as an administration to bring peace to Europe once again," Vance said. Show more Show less
