Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida
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Five Florida state lawmakers who were denied access to a new immigration detention center in the Everglades are suing Gov. Ron DeSantis.
As Florida moved quickly to build an immigration detention facility in the Everglades, some critics likened the site to a concentration camp. Some TikTok videos attempted to lend credence to the analogy: Alligator Alcatraz, they said, is getting incinerators.
Florida lawmakers are preparing to tour the state’s new migrant detention and deportation facility this weekend.
A federal judge may pause operations at Alligator Alcatraz as protests grow and nonprofits sue over conditions and impact.
The reports reveal a state-run facility built quickly to detain people under Trump-era immigration policies. They highlight issues like denied entry to lawmakers, heat and bugs inside the tents, and difficulties for detainees to contact legal counsel. "Alligator Alcatraz" is officially recognized by the state and has inspired merchandise.
Amid the controversy, emergency management officials on Wednesday invited state legislators and members of Congress to visit the facility on Saturday, setting up a 90-minute tour restricted to lawmakers.
A handful of Democratic state lawmakers in Florida filed a lawsuit on Thursday after they were denied entry into the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention facility, according to court records.
Roughly 600 people are currently being detained at the migrant detention facility in South Florida known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” authorities told Local 10 News Wednesday.
Amid allegations of deplorable conditions in Alligator Alcatraz, mayor of Miami-Dade County asks the feds and state government for access to the site.