Florida’s new migrant center, known as Alligator Alcatraz, may sound like a joke, but for the people locked inside, it is a nightmare. The facility has quickly become the focus of serious abuse claims, with detainees describing disturbing conditions and treatment that suggest something far worse than a detention center.
One of the most alarming reports is the lack of basic hygiene. Several detainees say they have gone days without being allowed to bathe. Others say they were given food that had maggots in it. There is no darkness at night, because the lights are always on.
Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was arrested in Miami Dade and brought to the facility last Friday, described what he saw.
“They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots,” he told CBS News. “They never take off the lights for 24 hours.”
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Another man at the center said their rights were not being respected.
“We’re like rats in an experiment,” the man said. “I don’t know their motive for doing this, if it’s a form of torture. A lot of us have our residency documents and we don’t understand why we’re here.”
A Colombian detainee said he had gone three days without his medicine. He told CBS News that officials took his Bible and said, “There is no right to religion.” He added, “And my Bible is the one thing that keeps my faith, and now I’m losing my faith.”
The facility was built to hold 5,000 people. It is located in the Everglades, far from the public eye. President Donald Trump visited it recently and praised it.
“It might be as good as the real Alcatraz,” he said.
Democratic lawmakers in Florida tried to visit the site last week. They wanted to see the inside for themselves after hearing about flooding. But when they arrived, they were turned away.
“They stopped us pretty immediately,” said Florida state representative Anna Eskamani. She went there with 4 other lawmakers.
A lawyer from the Florida Division of Emergency Management told them they could not enter because of “security concerns.”
Rep Eskamani asked, “If it’s unsafe for us, how is it safe for the detainees?”
The 5 lawmakers later released a statement.
“This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye,” they wrote.
So far, no one from the state has answered questions about the claims. The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the center is working as planned. She called it a model for future immigration efforts.
But the people inside are begging to be heard.
Featured image via Screengrab
