ICE denies 'fake news' claims about detention centers
ICE officials furiously denied the 'fake news' claims that migrants are starving in detention centers. The agency, headed by Homeland Security, hit back at a recent NBC News report that detainees have had to deal with overcrowding, food shortages and spoiled food at detention centers in at least seven states, according to immigration advocates. After the outlet published the story early Monday morning, Homeland Security took to its X account and shamed the network for its 'false' report.
The post revealed a screenshot of the outlet's headline: 'Immigrants in overcapacity ICE detention say they're hungry, raise food quality concerns,' to which the agency responded: 'FAKE NEWS!' 'Any claim that there is a lack of food or subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are FALSE. 'All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.
'Meals are certified by dieticians. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.' The agency's comment sparked an influx of reactions from online users as some stood by the statement and others questioned it. 'They are treated far better than they deserve,' one wrote, referring to migrants.
'ICE treats criminal illegals better than Gavin Newsom treats homeless veterans,' said another. 'BREAKING: @NBCNews is ALWAYS fake,' someone wrote. Others were not as convinced the agency was telling the truth, as one user said: 'Post video of these supposed claims of yours.'
'You deny it, so it's true,' another commented. 'Show the receipts. And let observers in with cameras,' wrote another. Although the agency has vehemently denied these claims, a former ICE official told the outlet it's difficult for a detention facility to stay stocked up with food when new illegal migrants get thrown in.
'While the agency can move money around to cover the cost of detaining more immigrants, planning for unexpected daily spikes can be difficult for facilities and could lead to food being served late or in small quantities,' the outlet wrote, per the source. This is not the first time NBC has been the target of Homeland Security, as Secretary Kristi Noem made a fiery appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday as she fiercely defended the Trump administration's controversial new migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.'
The interview came after Democratic lawmakers described the facility as a humanitarian nightmare. In a blistering exchange with NBC anchor Kristen Welker, Noem accused Democrats of hypocrisy and political theater after a congressional tour of the facility ended with accusations of inhumane treatment and squalid conditions. 'I wish they would've said that during the Biden administration,' Noem said as Welker repeatedly pressed her about reports of overcrowded cells and unsanitary water sources.
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. Grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and other insects were rampant. One detainee reportedly shouted, 'I'm an American citizen!' while others chanted 'Libertad!', Spanish for 'freedom.' Welker confronted Noem with such claims: 'Thirty people stuffed into a jail cell? Drinking water from the same place they use the bathroom?'
But Noem appeared unshaken and fired back. 'Our detention centers at the federal level are held to a higher standard than most local or state centers and even federal prisons. The standards are extremely high. This is a state-run facility, but it still exceeds the requirements.' Noem stood by the facility and doubled down, revealing that five Republican governors have already spoken with her about using the Florida site as a model.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees have no criminal record: report
Hundreds of detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz, the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, do not have criminal records or charges pending against them in the U.S. -- despite President Donald Trump claiming the facility would hold 'the most vicious people on the planet.' A preliminary review of the more than 700 people being held at the temporary facility found that one-third of detainees had criminal convictions, according to The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times . Around 250 people listed in the facility had immigration violations, which are civil offenses. The report contradicts the president's claim that the remote, maximum-security facility would hold the 'most menacing migrants.' Alligator Alcatraz, which was quickly converted from an abandoned airport to a detention center, is holding hundreds of alleged undocumented immigrants behind chain-link fences inside tents. Managed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, it is meant to alleviate pressure on local jails, and assist Trump in carrying out his mass deportation agenda. A review of more than 700 detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz found that one-third had criminal convictions (REUTERS) The facility is expected to hold a maximum of 3,000 people. Conditions at the facility have sparked outrage from Democratic lawmakers and members of the public, who have described it as an 'internment camp.' Several detainees have spoken out, claiming conditions are bleak with maggot-infested food, no water for bathing, and blinding lights kept on 24/7. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,' Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters after visiting the facility over the weekend. 'The only thing inside those cages are their bunk beds, and there are three tiny toilets,' Wasserman Schultz said. Public support for Alligator Alcatraz is low. A July poll from YouGov found that 48 percent of people were against the detention facility. The abandoned airport was quickly turned into a detention facility to assist in Trump's mass deportation agenda (AP) But Trump is determined to fulfill his campaign promise of rounding up all undocumented immigrants and deporting them, either back to their country of origin or a third country willing to take displaced people. 'It's amazing the lengths that the Fake News media will go to try and provide cover for criminal illegal aliens,' Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson said in a statement. 'The absence of a US criminal record is an irrelevant measure when many criminal illegal aliens have charges for rape, assault, terrorism, and more in their native country, or other countries abroad. 'And every single one of these illegal aliens committed another crime when they entered the country illegally. The Trump Administration will continue carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in history by removing public safety threats from American communities,' Jackson said. Although recent reporting indicates that hundreds of detainees at Alligator Alcatraz do not have criminal convictions or pending charges in the U.S., there are detainees being held for criminal offenses. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier provided a list of six men being held at the Everglades facility who were convicted of crimes ranging from murder to burglary to Fox News. During his campaign, Trump misrepresented many, if not most, undocumented immigrants as violent criminals. Most evidence does not support this claim. While the president said his focus would be on convicted criminals, around 70 percent of all detainees in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody are being held for civil violations, not criminal convictions, according to Trace Reports.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
‘It's a concentration camp': Everything we know about Trump's new ‘Alligator Alcatraz' in the Florida Everglades
The name given by Donald Trump and his allies to Florida 's new barebones immigrant detention camp is ghoulish enough: 'Alligator Alcatraz'. Critics, however, argue that it is nothing less than a concentration camp on American soil, designed to round up disfavored minorities even if they have committed no crimes. Rapidly built and opened in the space of just two weeks on a remote and rarely used airstrip in Florida's reptile-rich Everglades, the camp is intended to hold up to 5,000 people arrested by U.S. immigration authorities while they await deportation. Numerous detainees, their families, and their lawyers have already alleged inhumane and unsafe conditions, including maggoty food and overflowing toilets. Polling suggests that almost half of all Americans disapprove of the facility, with only 26 per cent of independent voters being in favor. So what exactly is Alligator Alcatraz, and what will happen to the so far 700-odd people detained there? Surrounded by alligators and pythons Long before his 2024 election victory, Donald Trump and his team were drawing up plans to deport millions of people every year — and hold them in vast new detention camps while their cases were processed. Alligator Alcatraz is a preview of that potential future. Rather than being the federal government, it's actually a project of Florida's Republican governor — and former Trump election rival — Ron DeSantis, who invoked emergency powers to seize the land last month. Who funded this remains unclear. DeSantis has said he will be reimbursed by the federal government, and Trump's homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, has said it will be "largely funded" by FEMA. Yet in court filings, the U.S. Justice Department has claimed that "not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida's temporary detention center" — despite the fact that immigration enforcement is handled by the federal government. Regardless, Republicans have made no secret of their rationale. "You don't need to invest that much in the perimeter," claimed Florida's attorney general James Uthmeier. "If people get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons." And yes, 'Alligator Alcatraz' is now its official name. It's even emblazoned on road signs that lead to the facility. 'Packed into cages' The facility's construction is extremely basic — and its conditions are allegedly brutal. Detainees are kept in metal cages, with dozens of people packed into each one, housed inside gigantic heavy-duty tents in the sweltering heat. Even the staff appear to be based in temporary prefab huts and mobile trailers parked nearby. Detainees and their families have reported worm-infested food, routine medical neglect, unreliable air conditioning, and inadequate toilets that overflow and cover the floor with feces. Government officials have adamantly disputed these accusations, but have provided few details and have denied access to the media. In total, there are currently around 3,000 beds. 'They have no way to bathe, no way to wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with pee and poop,' said the wife of one 35-year-old Cuban detainee. "They eat once a day and have two minutes to eat. The meals have worms." At one point, detainees "all went on a hunger strike" in protest against the conditions, she said, adding that her calls with him were interrupted every three minutes by an automated voice saying the conversation was recorded. Lawyers have also reported being refused access and prevented from speaking to their clients. Leamsy 'La Figura' Izquierdo, a Cuban reggaeton artist arrested last week in Miami-Dade County for assault with a deadly weapon and transferred to Alligator Alcatraz, likewise told CBS News: 'There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath. "They only brought a meal once a day and it has maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants." Another detainee said guards had taken away his Bible and told him that "here there is no right to religion". Democratic legislators who visited the camp say they're deeply concerned. While a bipartisan group was allowed to visit on July 12 — as required by state law — they were given a "sanitized" tour of still-empty areas with no detainees. Even then, their review was harsh. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans," said Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 'This place needs to be shut the hell down. They're abusing human beings." A spokesperson for the Florida state government said, "The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order." Who is detained there? In early July, Donald Trump claimed that the Florida facility would "handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet" — and said he wants to see similar facilities built in "many states". But what we know of Alligator Alcatraz's inmates conflicts with his description. According to The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, only one-third of the 700 people currently being held there have any criminal conviction whatsoever. 250 detainees have been judged to have broken immigration law, which is a civil offence and not a criminal one. One detainee, who described the conditions as potentially "a form of torture", told CBS: "A lot of us have our residency documents and we don't understand why we're here." That fits the general pattern of Trump's detentions so far. Despite promising to prioritize "the worst of the worst", data suggests that only 8 percent of the estimated 185,000 people detained by ICE between October 1, 2024 and May 31, 2025 had been convicted of a serious crime. One-third of detainees had some kind of criminal conviction, but among that group, 75 percent had only committed low-level crimes such as traffic offenses. How long detainees will stay at Alligator Alcatraz is unclear, but immigration court proceedings can take months or years, and the Trump administration has said it will deny bail en masse. Hence, it could be a long time for some. Is it a concentration camp? Some critics believe so. Among them is the journalist Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, who made her case in a recent op-ed for MSNBC. "This facility's purpose fits the classic model: mass civilian detention without real trials targeting vulnerable groups for political gain based on ethnicity, race, religion or political affiliation rather than for crimes committed," Pitzer wrote. "We're still in the early stages of this arc, but... the history of this kind of detention underlines that it would be a mistake to think the current cruelties are the endpoint. America is likely just getting started." While the term 'concentration camp' is most associated with the Nazis, such camps have been widely used by numerous nations, including the U.K., the U.S., Spain, and the Soviet Union. Immigration lawyer Raul A. Reyes likewise argued in The Los Angeles Times that Alligator Alcatraz is a "national disgrace" that "will place detainees in life-threatening conditions". He further claimed the facility "appears intentionally designed to inflict suffering on detainees", citing supporters' "gleeful" attitude to the idea of federal detainees being eaten by alligators. The Florida Republican Party, and Uthmeier himself, are even selling Alligator Alcatraz merchandise, including baseball caps, water bottles, and beer koozies.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Family of US citizen beaten to death by Israeli settlers calls on Trump administration to prosecute killers
Relatives of Sayfollah Musallet, a US citizen from Florida beaten to death by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, are calling for the Trump administration to arrest and prosecute those responsible for his killing. The 20-year-old from Tampa was visiting his family in an area near Ramallah, and died last week trying to protect their farm from invaders, they said at an emotional press conference in Florida on Monday afternoon. His uncle Hasem Musallet paid tribute to the 'loving, respectful' boy who loved baseball and had just opened an ice-cream business in Tampa with several of his cousins. He decried what the family saw as indifference from the US government over the murder of one of its citizens. 'Somebody needs to be held accountable,' he said. 'He wanted to be a businessman ever since he was young. He was planning on expanding, finding a wife, having a family. That was his dream but it was cut short at 20 years old, cut short unjustly.' Musallet was beaten with clubs and bats, and died in the same attack that killed a 23-year-old Palestinian man. Razek Hussein al-Shalabi was shot and left to bleed to death, the Palestinian health ministry said. Hasem Musallet said the settlers prevented ambulances from reaching the injured men, and that a brother watched Sayfollah take his last breath. Hiba Rahim, deputy executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), said Musallet's family wanted Donald Trump, and the departments of justice and state, to prosecute his killers under US law. She also condemned a statement from the state department that said it had no comment on Musallet's death 'out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time'. Rahim said: 'We're not asking, and his family is not asking for silence. We're asking for accountability. 'If Sayfollah was killed by anyone else or in another country, there would already be investigations, there would already be attempts for arrest, and calls for arrest and outrage in Washington. 'Where is the outrage from our government? Where is the accountability?' Hasem Musallet broke down in tears as he remembered his nephew as 'just a very rare soul' who would help anybody in need. He said Musallet was on a trip with family members from Florida, and enjoying time in the mountains and barbecuing with friends in the West Bank in the days before his death. 'He was very loving, caring. Just like any other 20-year-old he would go out with his friends after work, he'd watch comedy, he'd go out driving, he'd go to the beach. He would come to my house always, and come to his grandmother and give her a hug and kiss her hand,' Hasem said. Rahim dismissed an Israel Defense Forces account of Musallet's killing suggesting there was an altercation between groups of settlers and Palestinians. 'There were no clashes. These are the same lies we hear every time a guilty party is guilty of monstrous activity like what we saw with Sayfollah's death,' she said. 'This is not an isolated tragedy. There's a devastating pattern of Americans being killed in Israel, brutalized and murdered with impunity by Israeli forces and settlers.' Musallet's death is part of a growing wave of violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the territory and injured at least 9,000 since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023.
