Alligator Alcatraz boss exposes woke Democrats' false claims about migrant detention center conditions

Daily Mail​

14 hours ago

A Florida official overseeing Alligator Alcatraz has exposed Democrats for lying about the detention center to make conditions seem worse than they actually are.
The detention center has been subjected to fierce criticism since it opened its doors on July 1 and began accepting inmates two days later.
President Donald Trump toured the facility, which is deep in the Florida Everglades and surrounded by alligators, on July 1 alongside Governor Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, boasting: 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz.'
Two weeks later, a group of Democrats were granted access to tour the newly constructed grounds, and lamented the tough conditions migrants housed there will face.
Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz compared the facility to an internment camp and insisted 'there are really disturbing, vile conditions,' demanding the 'place be shut the hell down.'
But now, Kevin Guthrie, from the Florida division of Emergency Management, has rubbished the Democrats' concerns in an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox.
He said one critic 'had an infrared thermometer that they actually pointed at a lightbulb and it was 110C.'
Guthrie said he suggested they 'pull that down' to gauge the actual temperature and suggested it was an attempt to make the facility appear hotter than it actually is.
Another criticism from the Democrat tour guests that Guthrie drew attention to was the state of the food.
'That might be one of my favorites,' he said. 'Number one it was a grey turkey sandwich. She was about 6ft away from the turkey sandwich box in a wrapper, I'm not sure how she could tell it was grey.'
Guthrie said 'individuals who go to a hospital, individuals that get Michelle Obama's lunches are getting the exact same thing.'
He criticized Wasserman Schultz for 'then turning around and asking if they want second portions, can they come and get it? It's either grey and too nasty to eat or it's okay and can I get a second helping.'
During his impassioned speech, Guthrie railed against criticism of the plumbing and toilet facilities, noting it is 'a standard mock up toilet system in any secure facility.'
'We meet and exceed the national standard or Florida standard, whatever is the higher level,' he insisted.
His comments were on the back of Wasserman Schult' criticism, during which she insisted: 'This place is a stunt, and they're abusing human beings here.'
According to lawmakers on the tour, more than 30 migrants were packed into cage-style cells with just three combination sink-toilets. Temperatures hovered in the mid-80s inside medical intake tents.
Detainees have reported worms in the food, overflowing toilets, and 24-hour lockdowns in cages teeming with mosquitoes.
Trump has vowed the facility will 'house some of the most menacing migrants, the most vicious people on the planet. We're surrounded by miles of swamp land and the only way out is deportation.'
He said he'd like to see similar facilities in 'many states,' adding Florida would getting a second one 'and probably a couple more.'
'The incredible thing is picking the site because the site was one of the most natural sites. It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. Well, that's a spooky one too. That's a tough site. So I really think it could last as long as they want to have,' he said.
The president noted that 'I couldn't care less' that the facilities were controversial.
Trump looked visibly pleased with the setup during his tour, observing stacks of bunk beds behind chain-linked fencing inside an air conditioned tent in a Florida swamp.
The president said any migrant being processed into the facility who wanted to return to their home country would be allowed to do so.
The controversial detention facility was spearheaded by Florida Republican leaders and garnered its nickname due to its location: it sits about 37 miles from Miami in the middle of a swamp surrounded by snakes and alligators — and in an area of the state that is prone to hurricanes.
The $450 million-per-year detention facility, which will be able to hold up to 3,000 undocumented immigrants, was built in just seven days.
It sits next to an 11,000 foot airstrip. DeSantis said the runway there can be used to quickly fly undocumented immigrants to third countries if deportation is deemed appropriate.
'You literally drive them 2,000 feet, put them on a plane and then they're gone,' DeSantis said.
The center has 1,000 people staffing it and is surrounded by security cameras. The Florida National Guard will mobilize roughly 100 troops to help with the facility.
With the migrants housed in tents and trailers, they are surrounded thousands of alligators, along with non-indigenous predators like pythons and a family of panthers.
An alligator was spotted swimming near the detention center ahead of Trump's arrival.
It comes as Trump continues his crackdown on illegal migration, issuing a cutthroat new order which could see migrants deported to a third-country location as little as six hours after being given notice.
Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a top Trump administration lieutenant, issued a directive to agency staff on Wednesday, July 9, outlining the direction of deportations moving forward.
The Department of Homeland Security stoked fear with an AI-generated meme showing snarling alligators in ICE baseball caps patrolling the swampy grounds of the future facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz'
He said migrants could be deported to a 'third country' with as little as six hours notice 'in exigent circumstances' – so long as the person had been given an opportunity to speak with an attorney.
Generally, an illegal immigrant will be given 24 hours notice before they are sent to a country other than their homeland.
The memo states that migrants could be sent to nations that have pledged not to persecute or torture them 'without the need for further procedures.'
The United States has sent hundreds of migrants to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama, while South Sudan recently accepted eight third–country deportees.
These deportees were from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan and Vietnam.
Rwanda is reportedly in talks to begin accepting third–country deportees, but human rights advocates have raised concerns over sending migrants to countries where they have no ties or that may have a history of rights violations.
The administration last week urged officials from five African nations – Liberia, Senegal, Guinea–Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon – to accept deportees.
The Supreme Court in June lifted a lower court's order limiting such deportations without a screening for fear of persecution in the destination country.
The administration argues the third country deportations will help swiftly remove migrants who should not be in the US, including those with criminal convictions.