Latest news with #Collado
NBC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz describe cage-like units swarmed by mosquitoes
Legal advocates and relatives of immigrant detainees held in Florida's notorious Alligator Alcatraz are demanding the closure of the state-run facility, as allegations of human rights violations there and at other immigration detention centers mount. Detainees in Alligator Alcatraz, a new facility in the Everglades, described what they called torturous conditions in cage-like units full of mosquitoes, where fluorescent lights shine bright on them at all times. Detainees here also called attention to unsanitary conditions, as well as lack of food and reliable medical treatment for their chronic conditions. 'Detention conditions are unlivable,' said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, during a news conference Tuesday outside the facility. The Trump administration's push to quickly ramp up immigration arrests has led to overcrowding at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. As of June 20, more than 56,000 people were spending the night in detention centers nationwide on any given day. That's 40% more than in June 2024 and the highest detention population in U.S. history, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Nearly 72% of those detained have no criminal history. Concerns over detention conditions intensified this week after the HRW report, published Monday, documented 'abusive practices' at three Florida immigration detention centers over the past six months. In addition, the New York Immigration Coalition released video showing dozens of men laying on foil sheets on the floor of a crowded immigration processing center in New York City. NBC News recently reported on similar allegations coming from immigration advocates and detainees held in detention centers across California, Texas, Louisiana, Washington and New Jersey. They described experiencing hunger, food shortages and sickness. 'It's like a dog cage' In Tuesday's news conference, Sonia Vichara held her mobile phone up to a microphone so her husband, Rafael Collado, could publicly describe from Alligator Alcatraz the conditions he has endured over the past two weeks. 'It's like a dog cage,' Collado, who is Cuban, said in his native Spanish. He said that a combination of floodwater from recent storms, limited access to showers and poor sanitation have caused him to get fungus on his feet. As he was describing how detainees are stripped naked every time they are moved to a different cell and there's not a set schedule to take his blood pressure medication, Collado was told by a guard to hang up, he said, ending the call. Vichara said her husband had been showing up to his immigration appointments for years until he was detained recently during a routine check-in at an ICE field office in Miramar. Another detainee, Juan Palma, also spoke to NBC Miami from inside Alligator Alcatraz on Monday. 'I feel like my life is in danger,' Palma, who is Cuban, said in Spanish. He described feeling 'in a state of torture," being swarmed by mosquitoes during his sleep and unable to tell night from day because the facility's fluorescent lights are always on. Palma also reported being allowed to shower only every three to four days and being kept in a cage-style unit with 32 other people. Both Vichara and Palma's wife, Yanet Lopez, said their respective husbands have criminal records, but they did their time. NBC Miami reported that Palma's record included grand theft, credit forgery and battery. Vichara did not provide details of Collado's record only limiting herself to say, 'He did made a mistake, but he paid for it for 10 years.' That's no excuse to put detainees in harm's way, Petit said. 'We are talking about exposing people to illnesses and even to their death. That is a human rights violation, doesn't matter if you are an immigrant,' she said. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin has denied all allegations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and at immigration detention centers across the nation, telling NBC News in an email Tuesday, 'All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority.' McLaughlin also said that ICE 'has worked diligently to obtain greater necessary detention space while avoiding overcrowding,' adding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 'has called on states and local government to help with bed and detention space capacity.' Concerns rise as detainee population rises Janeisy Fernández Díaz, the mother of Michael Borrego Fernández, a Cuban national being held in Alligator Alcatraz, called for the facility's closure Tuesday. 'I want this place to close,' she said on behalf of her son, who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department of Homeland Security. In the complaint, four people being held in Alligator Alcatraz and their attorneys allege that the federal government has interfered with their ability to access detainees and provide them counsel, as well as 'harsh and inhumane conditions' at the facility. Borrego Fernández reported that people held in Alligator Alcatraz 'are only allowed one meal a day (and given only minutes to eat), are not permitted daily showers, and are otherwise kept around the clock in a cage inside a tent,' the complaint states. He also reported instances of physical assaults and excessive use of force by guards, along with a lack of medical care and attention. According to Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Borrego Fernández has spent more than 17 days at the facility, raising questions over the facility's operating standards. Alligator Alcatraz is not a traditional detention facility since it's operated and financed by the state of Florida to enforce federal immigration laws. NBC News has a pending information request to Florida officials, asking for a list of detainees and a copy of the standards outlining detention rules at the facility. During Tuesday's news conference, immigration advocates made it a point to reject the Alligator Alcatraz name, which began as a political moniker invented and adopted by Republican leaders and is now the facility's official name. It is not the only immigration facility in Florida facing allegations. Based on interviews with 11 current and former detainees at Krome North Service Processing Center, the Broward Transitional Center and the Federal Detention Center between January and June, as well as data analysis and conversations with 14 immigration lawyers, Human Rights Watch concluded in its report that people at these facilities were subjected to "dangerously substandard medical care, overcrowding, abusive treatment, and restrictions on access to legal and psychosocial support." The report also found that detainees were forced to sleep on cold, concrete floors without bedding and were given "substandard" food.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Unlivable conditions': Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz allege abuse, neglect; families, legal advocates demand facility's shutdown
"Alligator Alcatraz" Legal advocates and families of detainees are demanding the closure of the Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility amid mounting allegations of abuse and inhumane treatment. At a press conference outside the facility on Tuesday, speakers decried the conditions as cruel and dangerous. 'Detention conditions are unlivable,' said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, as quoted by NBC News. Multiple detainees held at the Everglades site described mosquito-infested, cage-like units lit round the clock with fluorescent lights. They reported poor sanitation, limited food, and inadequate access to medical care. 'I feel like my life is in danger,' said Juan Palma, a detainee who spoke from inside the facility in Spanish. He described being housed with 32 others in cage-style units where detainees are allowed to shower only every three to four days. Another detainee, Rafael Collado, recounted his experiences via phone during the press conference. 'It's like a dog cage,' said Collado, a Cuban national who was detained for two weeks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You Won't Believe the Price of These Dubai Apartments Binghatti Developers FZE Get Offer Undo He described developing foot fungus from floodwater, lack of hygiene, and strip searches during transfers. His account , according to NBC News, was abruptly cut off when a guard reportedly ordered him to hang up. His wife, Sonia Vichara, explained that Collado had been regularly checking in with immigration authorities when he was unexpectedly detained during a routine ICE visit in Miramar. 'He did made a mistake, but he paid for it for 10 years,' she said, referring to his past criminal record. Palma's wife also acknowledged his previous convictions- including grand theft, credit forgery, and battery- but insisted he had served his time. Petit argued that detainees' criminal histories do not justify current conditions. 'We are talking about exposing people to illnesses and even to their death. That is a human rights violation, doesn't matter if you are an immigrant,' she said. The growing concerns at Alligator Alcatraz come as immigration detention populations hit record highs. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), daily detainee counts nationwide surpassed 56,000 as of June 20, a 40 per cent jump from the same period in 2024. HRW noted that 72 per cent of these individuals have no criminal record. A report released by HRW on Monday highlighted 'abusive practices' across three Florida detention centres between January and June. It cited interviews with current and former detainees, legal consultations, and data analysis, documenting 'dangerously substandard medical care, overcrowding, abusive treatment,' and barriers to legal access. Detainees were said to be sleeping on concrete floors without bedding and consuming poor-quality food. NBC News reported similar conditions at facilities in California, Texas, Louisiana, Washington, and New Jersey, where detainees experienced illness and insufficient food. Tuesday's press conference also featured Janeisy Fernández Díaz, the mother of detainee Michael Borrego Fernández. Representing her son, who is a plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit, she declared, 'I want this place to close.' The lawsuit, filed by four detainees and their attorneys, alleges that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obstructed legal access and subjected detainees to 'harsh and inhumane conditions.' According to Borrego Fernández, he receives just one meal per day, must eat quickly, and is confined to tent cages with minimal access to showers. He reported violent guards and lack of medical attention. Florida Immigrant Coalition spokesperson Thomas Kennedy said Borrego Fernández's 17-day detention raised serious concerns about operational standards at the state-run federal facility. The facility's nickname, "Alligator Alcatraz", was originally coined by Republican leaders but has been widely adopted by critics. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin denied the allegation regarding conditions at the facility in a statement to NBC News, asserting that detainees receive proper meals, medical care, and can contact family and lawyers. She added that ICE is expanding capacity to avoid overcrowding. Meanwhile, Mothers, spouses, and legal advocates are now urging accountability. 'That is a human rights violation,' Petit reiterated, warning that the conditions inside Alligator Alcatraz may already be placing lives at risk.
7NEWS
23-07-2025
- Politics
- 7NEWS
Detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz describe cage-like units swarmed by mosquitoes
US legal advocates and relatives of immigrant detainees held in Florida's notorious Alligator Alcatraz are demanding the closure of the state-run facility, as allegations of human rights violations there and at other immigration detention centres mount. Detainees in Alligator Alcatraz, a new facility in the Everglades, described what they called torturous conditions in cage-like units full of mosquitoes, where fluorescent lights shine bright on them at all times. Detainees here also called attention to unsanitary conditions, as well as lack of food and reliable medical treatment for their chronic conditions. 'Detention conditions are unliveable,' Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said during a news conference on Tuesday outside the facility. The Trump administration's push to quickly ramp up immigration arrests has led to overcrowding at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. As of June 20, more than 56,000 people were spending the night in detention centres nationwide on any given day. That's 40 per cent more than in June 2024 and the highest detention population in U.S. history, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Nearly 72 per cent of those detained have no criminal history. Concerns over detention conditions intensified this week after the HRW report, published Monday, documented 'abusive practices' at three Florida immigration detention centres over the past six months. In addition, the New York Immigration Coalition released video showing dozens of men laying on foil sheets on the floor of a crowded immigration processing centre in New York City. NBC News recently reported on similar allegations coming from immigration advocates and detainees held in detention centres across California, Texas, Louisiana, Washington and New Jersey. They described experiencing hunger, food shortages and sickness. 'It's like a dog cage' In Tuesday's news conference, Sonia Vichara held her mobile phone up to a microphone so her husband, Rafael Collado, could publicly describe from Alligator Alcatraz the conditions he has endured over the past two weeks. 'It's like a dog cage,' Collado, who is Cuban, said in his native Spanish. He said that a combination of floodwater from recent storms, limited access to showers and poor sanitation have caused him to get fungus on his feet. As he was describing how detainees are stripped naked every time they are moved to a different cell and there's not a set schedule to take his blood pressure medication, Collado was told by a guard to hang up, he said, ending the call. Vichara said her husband had been showing up to his immigration appointments for years until he was detained recently during a routine check-in at an ICE field office in Miramar. Another detainee, Juan Palma, also spoke from inside Alligator Alcatraz on Monday. 'I feel like my life is in danger,' Palma, who is Cuban, said in Spanish. He described feeling 'in a state of torture', being swarmed by mosquitoes during his sleep and unable to tell night from day because the facility's fluorescent lights are always on. Palma also reported being allowed to shower only every three to four days and being kept in a cage-style unit with 32 other people. Both Vichara and Palma's wife, Yanet Lopez, said their respective husbands have criminal records, but they did their time. NBC Miami reported that Palma's record included grand theft, credit forgery and battery. Vichara did not provide details of Collado's record, only limiting herself to say: 'He did make a mistake, but he paid for it for 10 years.' That's no excuse to put detainees in harm's way, Petit said. 'We are talking about exposing people to illnesses and even to their death,' she said. 'That is a human rights violation, doesn't matter if you are an immigrant.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin has denied all allegations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and at immigration detention centres across the nation, saying in an email Tuesday: 'All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.' 'Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority.' McLaughlin also said that ICE 'has worked diligently to obtain greater necessary detention space while avoiding overcrowding', adding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 'has called on states and local government to help with bed and detention space capacity'. Concerns rise as detainee population rises Janeisy Fernández Díaz, the mother of Michael Borrego Fernández, a Cuban national being held in Alligator Alcatraz, called for the facility's closure Tuesday. 'I want this place to close,' she said on behalf of her son, who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department of Homeland Security. In the complaint, four people being held in Alligator Alcatraz and their attorneys allege that the federal government has interfered with their ability to access detainees and provide them counsel, as well as 'harsh and inhumane conditions' at the facility. Borrego Fernández reported that people held in Alligator Alcatraz 'are only allowed one meal a day (and given only minutes to eat), are not permitted daily showers, and are otherwise kept around the clock in a cage inside a tent', the complaint states. He also reported instances of physical assaults and excessive use of force by guards, along with a lack of medical care and attention. According to Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Borrego Fernández has spent more than 17 days at the facility, raising questions over the facility's operating standards. Alligator Alcatraz is not a traditional detention facility, since it's operated and financed by the state of Florida to enforce federal immigration laws. NBC News has a pending information request to Florida officials, asking for a list of detainees and a copy of the standards outlining detention rules at the facility. During Tuesday's news conference, immigration advocates made it a point to reject the Alligator Alcatraz name, which began as a political moniker invented and adopted by Republican leaders and is now the facility's official name. It is not the only immigration facility in Florida facing allegations. Based on interviews with 11 current and former detainees at Krome North Service Processing Centre, the Broward Transitional Centre and the Federal Detention Centre between January and June, as well as data analysis and conversations with 14 immigration lawyers, Human Rights Watch concluded in its report that people at these facilities were subjected to 'dangerously substandard medical care, overcrowding, abusive treatment, and restrictions on access to legal and psychosocial support'. The report also found that detainees were forced to sleep on cold, concrete floors without bedding and were given 'substandard' food.
NBC News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Detainees held at Alligator Alcatraz describe cage-like units swarmed with mosquitos
Legal advocates and relatives of immigrant detainees held in Florida's notorious Alligator Alcatraz are demanding the closure of the state-run facility, as allegations of human rights violations there and at other immigration detention centers mount. Detainees in Alligator Alcatraz, a new facility in the Everglades, described what they called torturous conditions in cage-like units full of mosquitoes, where fluorescent lights shine bright on them at all times. Detainees here also called attention to unsanitary conditions, as well as lack of food and reliable medical treatment for their chronic conditions. 'Detention conditions are unlivable,' said Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, during a press conference Tuesday outside the facility. The Trump administration's push to quickly ramp up immigration arrests has led to overcrowding at Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. As of June 20, more than 56,000 people were spending the night in detention centers nationwide on any given day. That's 40% more than in June 2024 and the highest detention population in U.S. history, according to a Human Rights Watch report. Nearly 72% of those detained have no criminal history. Concerns over detention conditions intensified this week after the HRW report, published Monday, documented 'abusive practices' at three Florida immigration detention centers over the past six months. In addition, the New York Immigration Coalition released video showing dozens of men laying on foil sheets on the floor of a crowded immigration processing center in New York City. NBC News recently reported on similar allegations coming from immigration advocates and detainees held in detention centers across California, Texas, Louisiana, Washington and New Jersey. They described experiencing hunger, food shortages and sickness. 'It's like a dog cage' In Tuesday's press conference, Sonia Vichara held her mobile phone up to a microphone so her husband, Rafael Collado, could publicly describe from Alligator Alcatraz the conditions he has endured over the past two weeks. 'It's like a dog cage,' Collado, who is Cuban, said in his native Spanish. He said that a combination of floodwater from recent storms, limited access to showers and poor sanitation have caused him to get fungus on his feet. As he was describing how detainees are stripped naked every time they are moved to a different cell and there's not a set schedule to take his blood pressure medication, Collado was told by a guard to hang up, he said, ending the call. Vichara said her husband had been showing up to his immigration appointments for years until he was detained recently during a routine check-in at an ICE field office in Miramar. Another detainee, Juan Palma, also spoke to NBC Miami from inside Alligator Alcatraz on Monday. 'I feel like my life is in danger,' Palma, who is Cuban, said in Spanish. He described feeling 'in a state of torture," being swarmed by mosquitoes during his sleep and unable to tell night from day because the facility's fluorescent lights are always on. Palma also reported being allowed to shower only every three to four days and being kept in a cage-style unit with 32 other people. Both Vichara and Palma's wife, Yanet Lopez, said their respective husbands have criminal records, but they did their time. NBC Miami reported that Palma's record included grand theft, credit forgery and battery. Vichara did not provide details of Collado's record only limiting herself to say, 'He did made a mistake, but he paid for it for 10 years.' That's no excuse to put detainees in harm's way, Petit said. 'We are talking about exposing people to illnesses and even to their death. That is a human rights violation, doesn't matter if you are an immigrant,' she said. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has denied all allegations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and at immigration detention centers across the nation, telling NBC News in an email Tuesday, 'All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority.' McLaughlin also said that ICE 'has worked diligently to obtain greater necessary detention space while avoiding overcrowding,' adding that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem 'has called on states and local government to help with bed and detention space capacity.' Concerns rise as detainee population rises Janeisy Fernández Díaz, the mother of Michael Borrego Fernández, a Cuban national being held in Alligator Alcatraz, called for the facility's closure Tuesday. 'I want this place to close,' she said on behalf of her son, who is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Department of Homeland Security. In the complaint, four people being held in Alligator Alcatraz and their attorneys allege that the federal government has interfered with their ability to access detainees and provide them counsel, as well as 'harsh and inhumane conditions' at the facility. Borrego Fernández reported that people held in Alligator Alcatraz 'are only allowed one meal a day (and given only minutes to eat), are not permitted daily showers, and are otherwise kept around the clock in a cage inside a tent,' the complaint states. He also reported instances of physical assaults and excessive use of force by guards, along with a lack of medical care and attention. According to Thomas Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Borrego Fernández has spent more than 17 days at the facility, raising questions over the facility's operating standards. Alligator Alcatraz is not a traditional detention facility since it's operated and financed by the state of Florida to enforce federal immigration laws. NBC News has a pending information request to Florida officials, asking for a list of detainees and a copy of the standards outlining detention rules at the facility. During Tuesday's press conference, immigration advocates made it a point to reject the Alligator Alcatraz name, which began as a political moniker invented and adopted by Republican leaders and is now the facility's official name. It is not the only immigration facility in Florida facing allegations. Based on interviews with 11 current and former detainees at Krome North Service Processing Center, the Broward Transitional Center and the Federal Detention Center between January and June, as well as data analysis and conversations with 14 immigration lawyers, Human Rights Watch concluded in its report that people at these facilities were subjected to "dangerously substandard medical care, overcrowding, abusive treatment, and restrictions on access to legal and psychosocial support." The report also found that detainees were forced to sleep on cold, concrete floors without bedding and were given "substandard" food.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pelham man wins $4 milllion on Mass. scratch ticket
Mar. 5—If you see Pelham's Jose Collado today, no need to wish him luck. He's got plenty. Collado won a $4 million grand prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery's "$4,000,000 Gold 50X" $10 instant ticket game, lottery officials said Wednesday. Collado won $1,000 on another instant ticket the day before and returned to the same store to purchase an additional ticket, which turned out to be the $4 million winner, lottery officials said in a news release. Collado claimed his prize on Tuesday at the Massachusetts State Lottery's headquarters in Dorchester, Mass. Collado bought his winning ticket at a Speedway located at 709 McGrath Highway in Somerville, Mass., lottery officials said. The store receives a $40,000 bonus for its sale of the ticket. "You can win more in Mass!" Collado said in a statement. Mass Lottery officials said Collado plans on investing his winnings. This is the second New Hampshire resident to win a seven-figure prize with a Massachusetts Lottery ticket in the last three months, officials said. On Dec. 10, a Nashua resident claimed a $1 million prize won on a Powerball ticket purchased at Mobil, 940 Andover St. in Tewksbury, Mass.
