Migrant being held in Alligator Alcatraz makes plea to self-deport

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A 63-year-old migrant being held at Florida's controversial Alligator Alcatraz has made a desperate plea to be released so he can self-deport. Fernando Artese, an undocumented immigrant from Argentina, was thrown into the notorious jail - plagued with accusations of deplorable conditions including overcrowding and food shortages - after he was arrested for driving with a suspended license.
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which runs the facility, has hit back at the claims of poor conditions as 'fake news.' Fernando (pictured), who had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade, was taken into police custody on July 3 on a warrant linked to a March charge for driving without a license. He was later placed on an immigration hold, according to the Miami New Times.
His 19-year-old daughter, Carla Artese (pictured together), 19, is begging for her father's release while claiming that the entire family had been preparing to leave the country and settle in Argentina. 'This year, we were trying to leave the USA, and ICE got him and sent him to Alligator Alcatraz, where they treat them like criminals and have no rights, ' she explained. She added that she and her family had been 'saving up' for the relocation.
'The plan was to drive cross-country to California, pass through Mexico, visit family in Argentina, and then fly to Madrid,' she told the Miami New Times, adding that she was born in Spain and had planned to start college there. However, their ambitious plans drastically changed after her father was detained. 'On the second day of the trip, we were stopped in Jupiter, where were were passing by an area that was more of a rich area,' Fernando's daughter said. 'He was driving, and when he was stopped, we actually stopped, we were talking to them, they run the plate - it was because my dad didn't have a license.'
Following the arrest, Fernando was placed on an immigration hold and later transferred to the Alligator Alcatraz facility in the Florida Everglades - a newly constructed detention center that has garnered significant criticism for its alleged conditions. President Donald Trump toured the migrant detention facility on July 1, praising its remote, high-security design. The 47th President promised the controversial center would soon house what he called 'the most menacing migrants, the most vicious people on the planet.'
'Very soon this 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,' Trump said. He also said he'd like to see similar facilities in 'many states,' adding Florida would getting a second one 'and probably a couple more.' Now, the Artese family's worst fears have come to life as their beloved dad is one of hundreds of migrants currently being held at the divisive Florida facility.
'Since I came here [the the United States], I've always had the fear of something happening to my dad, and I feel like my biggest fear happened,' Carla said. 'And I feel like my biggest fear happened, and in the worst situation it could have been.' Fernando has since described the conditions at the facility as harsh and unsanitary, citing extreme temperature swings, mosquito infestations , and a lack of privacy. He also reported that detainees had to handle human waste after toilets malfunctioned, the Miami New Times reported.
Fernando has also likened the site to a 'concentration camp' calling it a 'Hispanic concentration camp' full of mostly working-class immigrants. 'My dad tells me, 'We're all like a family in there eating together,'' Carla told the Miami New Times of her father's experience in the camp. 'It's the Hispanic community,' she added. The 63-year-old father-of-one added that he has had only three showers since arriving at the facility.
Trump, however, said he 'couldn't care less' that the newly erected facilities were controversial. He praised the facility. 'We're arresting the worst of the worst,' he told reporters in Florida. 'We're getting these monsters out of the United States, out of Florida, out of all the places that they are in.' The 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.
Despite Trump's praise, Democrats railed against the facility and environmental groups have sued to try and stop its opening. 'It's like a theatricalization of cruelty,' Maria Asuncion Bilbao, Florida campaign coordinator at the immigration advocacy group American Friends Service Committee told the Associated Press. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Orlando, called the facility a 'makeshift prison camp.' Yet, Trump looked visibly pleased with the setup during his tour - as he was accompanied on by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem - observing stacks of bunk beds behind chain-linked fencing inside an air conditioned tent in a Florida swamp.
The president has since said that any migrant being processed into the facility who wanted to return to their home country would be allowed to do so. However, on July 10, Fernando told the Miami New Times that officials at Alligator Alcatraz had made an announcement that detainees who wanted to self-deport should line up. But, when detainees did so, officials disappeared without any explanation. Fernando, who holds Italian citizenship, has made it clear that he wishes to return to Italy, but says he has not been provided with any information about how to proceed.
His daughter, who has been desperately trying to assist her father, has since started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an immigration attorney. The campaign has raised over $5,000 of its $10,000 goal, but she says more funds are needed to navigate the legal process. 'They haven't given him any information about his case or any right to an attorney. Not to mention, they haven't added him to the system yet, so he doesn't even appear like an inmate anywhere,' she wrote on the fundraising page. 'We want to get an attorney soon to guide us and help us through our situation to make it as quick as possible to see my dad again, and we need help to cover the expenses.'
Carla expressed concern over her father's treatment and the lack of transparency in his case. 'They treat them like criminals and have no rights,' she said. Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, has since defended the new facility, claiming the allegations against the center are 'completely false.'
'Those allegations are completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,' Hartman wrote in an email to the Miami New Times. 'Detainees have access to potable water from on-site tanks refilled by 6,000-gallon trucks. Each individual is issued a personal cup they can refill at any time, and bottled water is provided at meals. Tanks are regularly sanitized, flushed, and tested to ensure water quality. Full-size showers are available daily with no restriction on bathing water All wastewater is hard-pumped into 22,000-gallon frac tanks, maintained below 50 percent capacity and pumped daily to minimize transfers. Tanks, hoses, and connections are fully contained to prevent spills and are regularly inspected to ensure zero environmental impact,' the statement concluded.