Florida Democrats are raising alarms over conditions at the state’s new immigration detention center, 'Alligator Alcatraz'. They say the facility is inhumane and an environmental threat to the Everglades.
On Saturday morning, a group of Florida Democratic members of Congress visited the facility for a brief, state-coordinated tour that lawmakers say was a sanitized effort to cover up what’s really happening inside.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida’s 25th congressional district, said the group had originally intended to make an unannounced visit, which is permitted under federal law. However, they believe the state caught wind of the plan and quickly arranged a controlled tour.
WATCH BELOW: Members of Florida Congress speak prior to their tour
“We are here because the state set up what we expect to be a sanitized, cleansed, so-called tour,” Wasserman Schultz said during a press conference outside the facility. “They should not put humans in cages in the middle of swampland in the Florida Everglades. It’s outrageous. It’s inhumane.”
The temporary facility, with a capacity of up to 3,000 detainees, was fast-tracked into existence just weeks after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier pitched the idea. He insisted that detainees would be treated fairly and processed swiftly.
“We'll make sure people get the necessary due process,” Uthmeier said. “We'll get them in, get them out.”
Lawmakers said they’ve received credible reports of poor conditions inside, including inedible food infested with bugs, detainees forced to sleep under bright lights, and a lack of access to legal counsel.
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Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida’s 10th congressional district brought a binder filled with names and photos of detainees whose families have lost contact with them.
Frost says some detainees haven’t spoken to their attorneys at all. Others have only been able to talk at odd hours of the night. One detainee reported that their 'cage' had three phones, and two of them didn't work.
Frost also explained that the members were barred from bringing electronics inside the facility, which he believes was intended to prevent them from documenting what they saw.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who represents the 23rd district, described the entire setup as “effing ridiculous,” and slammed the facility’s logistics and capacity. “This is not a facility that can take a high influx of people. It’s a one-way road in and out. If anyone tried to design this from a logistical standpoint, this would never have happened,” he said. “The cruelty is the point.”
Rep. Wasserman Schultz also noted that the individuals being held do not appear to be criminals. “Donald Trump promised to round up the worst of the worst,” he said. “There are no criminals here, as far as we know. But we're gonna find out."
Florida’s 9th district congressman, Darren Soto, focused on the economic impact. “What they’re doing here is eliminating thousands and thousands of workers over the course of the next few months. And every Floridian is going to feel that,” Soto said.
Wasserman Schultz said the facility was built without proper environmental permitting, despite its location in a sensitive Everglades ecosystem. She called the construction of such massive infrastructure in the area “an outrageous imposition” on the state’s restoration efforts.
The groups were originally told they would be taking one 90-minute tour. Late last night, they got an email saying they will now only be given a 30-minute tour, and they will be split up into 3 groups.
Despite the limitations of Saturday’s tour, lawmakers said they plan to return again on their own terms.
“I have no doubt we’ll be back at a date and time of our choosing,” Moskowitz said.
This article was written by Emma Romano for Scripps News West Palm Beach.
