Latest news with #Everglades
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Advocates demand closure of ‘Alligator Alcatraz', citing appalling conditions
Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed that 14 Mexican citizens are held at the controversial 'Alligator Alcatraz' jail in Florida, as local organizations and doctors call for the facility's shuttering. On Tuesday, a number of non-profit organizations held a press conference demanding the closure of the facility based in the rural Everglades region almost 40 miles (64km) from Miami, run by the state of Florida, to detain immigrants. According to advocates, the 39-acre camp now holds more than 1,000 men in 'flood-prone' tents. Sheinbaum said in an unrelated press conference that 14 of the people detained are confirmed Mexican nationals and she is seeking their repatriation. 'All arrangements are being made to ensure they are repatriated immediately to Mexico,' Sheinbaum said during her morning news conference. The facility's conditions are reportedly appalling, advocates say, with detained immigrants sleeping in overcrowded pods, along with sewage backups 'resulting in cages flooded with feces', and, in addition, 'denial of medical care'. Since the jail opened earlier this month, the Trump administration and local officials have specifically touted the brutality of the facility, including its remote location in a wetland surrounded by alligators, crocodiles, pythons and swarms of mosquitoes. Officials also appear to revel in the crude name the facility has been given, echoing the long-shut and notoriously harsh prison in San Francisco Bay. In June, Florida authorities proposed the idea of building a temporary facility in the Everglades to assist in the state and the Trump administration's push to arrest, detain and deport undocumented immigrants. The facility was cobbled together in a matter of days and then Donald Trump soon visited, with the US president hailing its extreme environment. According to recent reporting from the Miami Herald, Florida's governor has already committed more than $200m to private contractors for the facility's operation. Various reports from the facility have described awful conditions. Last week, it was revealed that a 15-year-old boy was held there for a number of days, despite claims by officials that only adults were detained. Journalists and lawmakers have experienced significant difficulty in accessing the facility. Earlier this month, a number of elected politicians visited and said there were 'inhumane' conditions inside. During Tuesday's press conference, advocates and relatives of those detained decried the conditions. 'The detention conditions are unlivable. When you expose human beings to human waste in heat, in a hot environment, you propagate germs and therefore illnesses,' said Tessa Petit, the co-executive director of the Florida Immigration Coalition, CBS reported. 'People in there have not been allowed to step outside of those cages.' A woman, whose husband is detained in the facility, said that 'due to the water, the rain that was here a couple of weeks ago, he has fungus on his feet', CBS reported. Florida officials have denied the allegations of 'inhumane' treatment. The DHS did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication. A Yale School of Public Health study said the area was swarming with over 7 billion mosquitoes, with many carrying viruses. Advocates said that at least six people detained at the Everglades facility have been hospitalized, calling it a 'public health crisis'. They are calling for the immediate evacuation of all detainees and for its closure.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Alligator Alcatraz is overlit, mosquito-filled nightmare where prisoners rarely get to shower, inmate says
A migrant held at Florida 's controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center described dozens of inmates being corralled inside cages at the disorienting, mosquito-infested facility. Juan Palma, 48, who has spent more than two weeks at the center in the Florida Everglades, told NBC6 that the lights stay on around the clock, leaving him clueless as to the time of day. The Cuban migrant said that he and 32 other people live in what he described as a cage and that they are only allowed to shower every three or four days. 'I feel like my life is in danger,' Palma said of the 'torturous' conditions. 'There are too many mosquitos, you can't sleep,' he added. He fears that he will be sent to an unknown country, as Cuba doesn't always take back migrants. Palma, whose criminal record includes charges of grand theft, credit forgery and battery, is struggling to fight his deportation order, his wife Yanet Lopez told NBC News. Lopez said that it was almost as if her husband ceased to exist apart from his ability to call her. 'We are stressed, depressed, and the situation we are experiencing is very difficult,' Lopez said. The newly constructed detention center has garnered significant criticism for its allegedly abhorrent state. Fernando Artese, 63, an undocumented immigrant from Argentina, was thrown in the facility after he was arrested for driving with a suspended license. He had lived in the US for more than a decade and was taken into custody on July 3 on a warrant linked to a March charge for driving without a license. Artese 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. He likened the site to a 'Hispanic concentration camp' full of mostly working-class migrants. He added that he had only three showers since arriving at the facility. President Donald Trump said he 'couldn't care less' that the center was controversial. He toured the center on July 1, praising its remote, high-security design. 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 promised that the center would house what he called '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.' 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. The Florida Division of Emergency Management had quickly constructed the controversial site, which officials have said will detain more than 3,000 people. 'Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration,' U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem said in a June 30 press release.
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Trump pulls US out of Unesco over ‘anti-Israel bias'
President Donald Trump is pulling the US out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) over its 'anti-Israel bias'. In February, Mr Trump ordered a 90-day review of America's membership of the heritage group, probing any 'anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organisation'. Now Mr Trump is set to cut ties with the agency after the review uncovered alleged pro-China and anti-Israel bias, as well as the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, according to The New York Post. 'President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from Unesco – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the common-sense policies that Americans voted for in November,' White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the newspaper. 'This president will always put America First and ensure our country's membership in all international organisations aligns with our national interests.' The US is home to numerous celebrated Unesco heritage sites, including the Everglades National Park, the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty. Mr Trump's withdrawal from the agency is not expected to affect their status as protected sites. Unesco board members forced through anti-Israel actions, such as designating Jewish holy sites as 'Palestinian World Heritage' sites, a White House official claimed. According to the review, Unesco frequently states that Palestinian territory is 'occupied' by Israel and condemns the Jewish state's war against Hamas without criticising the terrorist group. It added that Beijing holds significant sway over Unesco as its biggest donor and through having Chinese nationals such as deputy-director general Xing Qu in top leadership positions. 'China has leveraged its influence over Unesco to advance global standards that are favourable to Beijing's interests,' the official said. Unesco has come under criticism for apparently glossing over the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) persecution of Uyghur Muslims. The organisation has also been accused of promoting 'woke' social justice causes. In 2023, Unesco published an 'anti-racism toolkit' which urged member states to adopt 'anti-racist' policies and engage in a 'race to the top' to be social justice leaders, address questions about the history of racism in their country and strive towards racial equality. The following year, the organisation's 'Transforming MEN'talities' initiative highlighted its work in India addressing 'how men think about gender issues', including 'harmful gender norms'. It also published research looking at how video games could 'promote gender equality '. Gabriela Ramos, Unesco's assistant director-general for the social and human sciences, said at the time: 'It is not only about controlling the negative impacts, but also relying on video games to address socio-cultural stereotypes and encourage positive, anti-discriminatory behaviours.' Mr Trump first withdrew the US from Unesco in 2017 amid allegations of anti-Israel bias. Joe Biden then rejoined the heritage group in 2023, claiming US presence was needed to push back against the rising influence of China. Audrey Azoulay, the director-general of Unesco, said: 'I deeply regret president Donald Trump's decision to once again withdraw the United States of America from Unesco. 'However regrettable, this announcement was anticipated, and Unesco has prepared for it. 'In spite of President Trump's first withdrawal in 2017, Unesco stepped up its efforts to take action wherever its mission could contribute to peace and demonstrated the pivotal nature of its mandate. 'Unesco's purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the United States of America is and will always be welcome.'
The Independent
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Florida signs $245 million in contracts for 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Here's a look by the numbers
Gov. Ron DeSantis ' administration has already signed contracts to pay at least $245 million to set up and run the new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz," according to a public database. The amount — to be fronted by Florida taxpayers — is in line with the $450 million a year officials have estimated the facility will cost. It's also a reminder of the public funding that DeSantis' Republican administration is spending to help carry out President Donald Trump 's mass deportation agenda. Human rights advocates, faith leaders and environmentalists have condemned the detention center. So has Mark Morgan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump's first term. Morgan wrote an opinion piece published by Fox News criticizing the facility as 'built for headlines' and 'ripe for failure, mismanagement and corruption.' Here's a look by the numbers. More than $245 million allocated so far A state database of government contracts shows that since Florida officials announced plans for the facility on June 19, the Executive Office of the Governor has awarded at least two dozen contracts totaling more than $245 million in taxpayer funds to build and manage the facility. It rose in a matter of days from a county-owned airstrip surrounded by swampland about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of downtown Miami. All the contracts were awarded under an executive order declaring an illegal immigration emergency the governor first enacted in 2023 and which he has renewed since then. The order grants the state sweeping authority to suspend 'any statute, rule or order' seen as slowing the response to the emergency, including requirements to competitively bid public contracts. State officials say at least some of the cost will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. But in court documents filed earlier this month, attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security stated that the federal government had yet to reimburse Florida for any of the costs. The department made clear that 'Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority.' The largest contract totals $78.5 million The single largest state contract related to the facility is a $78.5 million deal with Critical Response Strategies, a Jacksonville-based consulting firm. The responsibilities covered include hiring a warden, camp managers, corrections officers and IT workers. Other major contractor include Longview Solutions Group, which is being paid $25.6 million for site preparation, civil engineering, road construction and fence installation. Doodie Calls, a St. Petersburg-based supplier of portable toilets and shower trailers, was awarded a $22 million contract. The firm Gothams landed a $21.1 million contract to provide IT services, access badges and wristbands for detainees, while SLSCO LTD and Garner Environmental Services were both awarded $19.7 million deals to build out the site and handle ongoing maintenance. Corrections officers to be paid up to $11,600 a month One of the contracts shared with The Associated Press shows Critical Response Strategies was set hire a warden for the temporary facility at $125 an hour and potentially spend more than $400,000 in overtime pay. It's not clear how long staffers can expect to work at the facility. Corrections officers at the facility can expect to earn up to $11,600 a month, plus overtime, according to a job posting for the company on LinkedIn. The starting pay for Florida's rank-and-file corrections officers is $22 an hour or about $3,800 a month at the state's brick-and-mortar prisons, which have been so persistently understaffed that DeSantis deployed members of the Florida National Guard to work at them for more than two years. Zero publicly available contract documents As journalists and watchdogs have raised questions about the contracts and companies behind them, documents detailing deliverables and line-item spending have disappeared from the state's website. They've been replaced with one-page invoices that show little more than the names of the companies, how much they're charging, the dates on which each deal was signed and an address for where to send the bill. Some multimillion dollar contracts were awarded to political donors who have given to campaigns supporting DeSantis and other Republicans. The governor's office directed questions about the contracts to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency in charge of building the detention center. Spokesperson Stephanie Hartman said the contracts were removed because they included 'proprietary information that shouldn't have been uploaded.' The department did not answer questions about whether the full contracts would be released. ___
