Latest news with #AnnaEskamani
Miami Herald
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida lawmakers, members of Congress invited to visit Alligator Alcatraz
The DeSantis administration is inviting Florida's state legislators and members of Congress to attend a scheduled, 90-minute tour of Alligator Alcatraz on Saturday afternoon, according to an email shared with the Herald/Times. The invitation, sent Wednesday, is the first extended to elected leaders since the facility began taking in immigrant detainees on July 2. Five Democratic state lawmakers tried to enter the Everglades site during an unannounced visit on July 3, but were denied access by state officials who cited 'safety concerns.' Lawmakers said denying them access to the site may run afoul of a Florida law, which says members of the Legislature are allowed to 'visit at their pleasure all state correctional institutions.' State officials said Monday that the legal authority cited by the legislators did not apply to Alligator Alcatraz because the site – expected to eventually hold 3,000 or more migrants – is not considered a 'state correctional institution' under state law. 'We're glad to see public pressure forcing the State of Florida to open its doors for a scheduled tour of the Everglades Detention Center. But let's be clear: this isn't a field trip — it's oversight,' state Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said in a statement Wednesday. The makeshift detention facility was built in eight days on top of a remote runway owned by Miami-Dade County off of U.S. Highway 41. Using emergency powers, the DeSantis administration took control of the property and set up trailers and heavy-duty tents, where hundreds of immigrant detainees are now being held. President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis visited the site last week and touted it as a needed space to help house migrants caught up in the president's mass-deportation campaign. In the first full week of operations, the Miami Herald found that detainees were reporting issues with the facility's toilets and showers and problems with the air-conditioning inside the tents where detainees are living. They also complained about having no access to confidential calls with their attorneys. One detainee was also taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, an incident the state initially described as 'fake news.' The stories, relayed to Herald by the wives of the immigrant detainees, were the first snapshots of the conditions inside the newly opened facility, which the state is responsible for operating. A day after the Herald report, the state Division of Emergency Management sent out an email inviting elected leaders to visit the site on Saturday. Lawmakers who want to go will need to confirm their attendance by noon on Friday. 'Staff and other visitors will not be permitted,' the email states. It is not yet clear how many lawmakers will make the trip down to the Everglades to visit the site. So far at least one Miami lawmaker intends to go. 'Yes, I will be going,' Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic lawmakers denied entry to ‘Alligator Alcatraz' immigration jail
A group of Florida lawmakers were denied entry on Thursday into the new Florida-based immigration jail dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' one day after the first immigrant detainees began to arrive. Five Democratic lawmakers attempted to enter the facility, which was previously toured on Tuesday by White House officials, but were stopped by law enforcement officers from local agencies, according to the state representative Anna Eskamani in an interview with CNN. 'This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye,' the five said in a joint statement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the first detentions at the facility began on Wednesday, but did not respond to questions regarding the number of people detained so far. The controversial Everglades jail was quickly set up in a partnership between the federal and Florida state governments. Sitting approximately 50 miles (80km) west of Miami, the remote facility is managed by the state but in large part funded the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz. A little controversial, but I couldn't care less,' Trump said on Tuesday after touring the site. During the tour, Trump joked about immigrants being pursued by snakes and alligators if they attempted to escape. Since Trump took office, Florida has been assisting the administration's goals in rounding up a large number of immigrants to be detained and deported. Through a program called 287(g), local law enforcement agencies partner with DHS and become deputized to carry out immigration enforcement operations. According to the state government, Florida has more 287(g) deputizations than any other state in the US, which has allowed it to engage in widespread operations targeting immigrant communities. Related: Trump celebrates harsh conditions for detainees on visit to 'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigrants arrested by Florida law enforcement under the arrangement will be detained at the facility, DHS said. 'You'll have a lot of people that will deport on their own because they don't want to end up in an Alligator Alcatraz, or some of these other places,' Florida governor Ron DeSantis said after touring the facility with Trump. 'This is a model, but we need other states to step up.' Being undocumented in the US is not a crime; rather, it is a civil offense. Data analysis by the Guardian shows that there has been a dramatic nationwide increase in the arrest of undocumented immigrants with no criminal record. The White House has pressured immigration officials to arrest 3,000 people per day, with the reported goal of reaching one million a year. Two non-profit groups have sued DHS, claiming the site's buildup is violating environmental policies. DHS said it expects the facility to expand quickly to 5,000 beds.
Int'l Business Times
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Florida Lawmakers Barred Entry From Alligator Alcatraz After Expressing 'Humanitarian Concerns'
Democratic Florida lawmakers who attempted to enter "Alligator Alcatraz" on Thursday were barred entry after they expressed "humanitarian concerns" about the new Everglades detention center. They were denied entry just hours after the first detainees arrived at the center. "They stopped us pretty immediately," Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who attempted to visit the facility along with four other Democratic lawmakers, told CNN. Eskamani and her colleagues were drawn to the detention center by reports of flooding following a storm on Tuesday. Florida police stopped the lawmakers from entering the facility. Later, a general counsel from the Florida Division of Emergency Management told them "security concerns" were the reason for their non-admittance. "If it's unsafe for us, how is it safe for the detainees?" Eskamani reportedly asked the general counsel. "This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye," the five lawmakers said in a joint statement. "Alligator Alcatraz," dubbed by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, was created by the federal and Florida state governments and is located in the states Everglades region, about 50 miles west of Miami. Days before they went to the facility, Eskamani and her colleagues sounded the alarm over reports that immigrant children and pregnant women could be detained there. The facility "will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process, and deport criminal illegal aliens," according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. It "might be as good as the real Alcatraz," President Donald Trump said after visiting it on Tuesday. Critics have compared the detention center, the sixth in the state, to Nazi concentration camps. In addition to stark humanitarian concerns, environmental groups have drawn attention to the potential ecosystem damage the rapidly constructed facility could cause. "This project has been rushed through with zero analysis of the impacts of all of the vehicles and thousands of people who will be detained or work on the site. That is contrary to law," Alisa Coe, deputy managing attorney of Earthjustice, said at a press conference on Tuesday. Originally published on Latin Times
CNN
04-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Lawmakers who tried to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' amid humanitarian concerns were denied entry
Democratic Florida state Sens. Shevrin Jones, left, and Carlos Guillermo Smith, far right, along with state Reps. Anna Eskamani, right, Michele Rayner and Angie Nixon, center, spoke with law enforcement outside the 'Alligator Alcatraz" facility on Thursday. Florida lawmakers worried about 'humanitarian concerns' were denied entry into the new detention center dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' Thursday, just hours after the arrival of its first group of detainees. 'They stopped us pretty immediately,' said Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, one of the five Democratic state lawmakers who attempted to visit the facility and inspect its grounds following reports of flooding and other issues. The lawmakers were stopped by law enforcement officers from multiple Florida agencies and later, a general counsel from the Florida Division of Emergency Management cited a 'safety concern' for the denial without offering specific details, Eskamani said. 'If it's unsafe for us, how is it safe for the detainees?' Eskamani said she asked the attorney. The group's request to see the outer perimeter of the tent facility was also denied, Eskamani said. The lawmakers said in a joint statement that Florida law allows state legislators to 'have full access to inspect any state-operated facility.' They referenced two Florida statutes: one gives members of the legislature authority to visit all state correctional institutions 'at their pleasure' and another allows them to visit county and municipal detention facilities. 'This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye,' the group said. CNN has reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for comment. The incident is one of a spate of recent tense encounters involving lawmakers at immigration detention centers. Last month, Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside a Newark, New Jersey, detention center as she and other Democratic lawmakers tried to visit the facility in May. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the scene after he tried to join the lawmakers inside the facility. Detainees have arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, the state emergency management agency said Thursday, following reports of flooding earlier this week. Prior to trying to enter the facility, the lawmakers noted there have been reports of extreme heat, structural issues, environmental threats and human rights violations that 'demand immediate oversight.' 'What's happening here is un-American,' the group of state lawmakers said in a joint news release before going to the facility Thursday. 'What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems—it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people.' President Donald Trump toured the facility Tuesday and shortly after, summer storms amid the region's hurricane season brought flooding, adding to a list of concerns about the facility's readiness to house migrants. Wires were seen submerged in pooling water across the floor and high winds made the floor and walls of the facility's tents tremble, reporter video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 showed. A combination of weather observations and estimates from radar indicate that anywhere from around 0.4 to 1.5 inches of rain fell at the facility in less than two hours on Tuesday, according to CNN Weather. Later that night, 'vendors went back and tightened any seams at the base of the structures that allowed water intrusion during the heavy storm, which was minimal,' Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told CNN in a separate request for information about the flooding. But more rainfall could be on the horizon amid the region's hurricane season and the chance for storms in the forecast every day in the next week, according to CNN Weather. It's unclear how many detainees are currently being housed at the compound as of Thursday, but it has the capacity to hold 3,000 people, with room for more, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a roundtable Tuesday alongside Trump. Beds are seen inside a migrant detention center dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1. DHS says it isn't directly involved with the facility The US Department of Homeland Security said it has not been directly involved in 'Alligator Alcatraz,' according to a federal court filing submitted Wednesday, a move distancing the Trump administration from the makeshift detention facility. 'DHS has not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida's temporary detention center,' the court filing reads. Thomas Giles, the interim assistant director for Enforcement and Removal Field Operations at ICE, said in a declaration that ICE's role 'has been limited to touring the facility to ensure compliance with ICE detention standards, and meeting with officials from the State of Florida to discuss operational matters.' The agency made the declaration as part of a federal lawsuit filed by two environmental groups seeking to stop the use of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport as a site to house undocumented detainees. The groups allege the 'reckless plan' will put at risk the ecologically sensitive Everglades wetland. In the court filing, DHS argued the facility is built and run solely by the state of Florida. The state can detain undocumented people at the facility under the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration enforcement duties under ICE's supervision, Giles said in the court filing. 'The ultimate decision of who to detain at the TNT Detention Facility belongs to Florida,' he said. Despite distancing itself from the facility, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin said authorities will 'expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' As part of the lawsuit, the Department of Justice defended the development of the facility, saying that delaying its construction 'would imperil critical immigration enforcement efforts and endanger detainees in overcrowded detention facilities.' DHS said the state has not received or applied for federal funds related to the detention center. But a declaration submitted by a Federal Emergency Management Agency official as part of the lawsuit noted a $600 million detention support grant program has been established to help the state with immigration detention. Once the program is finalized, the Florida Division of Emergency Management can apply for federal funds for the state's detention facilities. On Thursday, the US military also said it would send about 200 Marines to Florida to assist ICE as part of a broader push to deploy active-duty troops to assist with deportations. A statement from US Northern Command didn't say where in Florida the Marines would be sent, or whether they will support 'Alligator Alcatraz,' but noted they would 'perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities.' Detention center is 'as safe and secure as you can be,' governor says Nestled in the middle of Florida's humid, subtropical wetland ecosystem, 'Alligator Alcatraz' was transformed from a training and transition airport to a temporary tent city for migrants. The expected cost to run the detention center for one year is $450 million, a DHS official told CNN, adding that Florida will front the costs of the facility and then 'submit reimbursement requests' through FEMA and DHS. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the facility is necessary to alleviate burdens on the state's law enforcement agencies and jails, and touted it for being designed to be 'completely self-contained' – which has prompted local immigration rights advocates to accuse his administration of creating a facility 'engineered to enact suffering.' Related article Trump's visit to a migrant camp called 'Alligator Alcatraz' stirs dark echoes 'Clearly from a security perspective, if someone escapes, there's a lot of alligators you're going to have to contend (with),' DeSantis said last week. 'No one is going anywhere once you do that. It's as safe and secure as you can be.' Migrants will be housed in repurposed FEMA trailers and 'soft-sided temporary facilities,' a DHS official told CNN. The same tents are often used to house those displaced by natural disasters, like hurricanes, DeSantis' office said. They likely will provide the only shelter from Mother Nature as summer in South Florida proves to be the region's wettest season, in part due to the tropical activity of hurricane season and daily thunderstorms. State officials said they are developing evacuation plans for the facility in the event of severe weather. CNN's Shania Shelton, Chelsea Bailey and Luke Snyder contributed to this report.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers who tried to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' amid humanitarian concerns were denied entry
Florida lawmakers worried about 'humanitarian concerns' were denied entry into the new detention center dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' Thursday, just hours after the arrival of its first group of detainees. 'They stopped us pretty immediately,' said Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, one of the five Democratic state lawmakers who attempted to visit the facility and inspect its grounds following reports of flooding and other issues. The lawmakers were stopped by law enforcement officers from multiple Florida agencies and later, a general counsel from the Florida Division of Emergency Management cited a 'safety concern' for the denial without offering specific details, Eskamani said. 'If it's unsafe for us, how is it safe for the detainees?' Eskamani said she asked the attorney. The group's request to see the outer perimeter of the tent facility was also denied, Eskamani said. The lawmakers said in a joint statement that Florida law allows state legislators to 'have full access to inspect any state-operated facility.' They referenced two Florida statutes: one gives members of the legislature authority to visit all state correctional institutions 'at their pleasure' and another allows them to visit county and municipal detention facilities. 'This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye,' the group said. CNN has reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for comment. The incident is one of a spate of recent tense encounters involving lawmakers at immigration detention centers. Last month, Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside a Newark, New Jersey, detention center as she and other Democratic lawmakers tried to visit the facility in May. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at the scene after he tried to join the lawmakers inside the facility. Detainees have arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, the state emergency management agency said Thursday, following reports of flooding earlier this week. Prior to trying to enter the facility, the lawmakers noted there have been reports of extreme heat, structural issues, environmental threats and human rights violations that 'demand immediate oversight.' 'What's happening here is un-American,' the group of state lawmakers said in a joint news release before going to the facility Thursday. 'What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems—it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people.' President Donald Trump toured the facility Tuesday and shortly after, summer storms amid the region's hurricane season brought flooding, adding to a list of concerns about the facility's readiness to house migrants. Wires were seen submerged in pooling water across the floor and high winds made the floor and walls of the facility's tents tremble, reporter video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 showed. A combination of weather observations and estimates from radar indicate that anywhere from around 0.4 to 1.5 inches of rain fell at the facility in less than two hours on Tuesday, according to CNN Weather. Later that night, 'vendors went back and tightened any seams at the base of the structures that allowed water intrusion during the heavy storm, which was minimal,' Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, told CNN in a separate request for information about the flooding. But more rainfall could be on the horizon amid the region's hurricane season and the chance for storms in the forecast every day in the next week, according to CNN Weather. It's unclear how many detainees are currently being housed at the compound as of Thursday, but it has the capacity to hold 3,000 people, with room for more, Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a roundtable Tuesday alongside Trump. The US Department of Homeland Security said it has not been directly involved in 'Alligator Alcatraz,' according to a federal court filing submitted Wednesday, a move distancing the Trump administration from the makeshift detention facility. 'DHS has not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida's temporary detention center,' the court filing reads. Thomas Giles, the interim assistant director for Enforcement and Removal Field Operations at ICE, said in a declaration that ICE's role 'has been limited to touring the facility to ensure compliance with ICE detention standards, and meeting with officials from the State of Florida to discuss operational matters.' The agency made the declaration as part of a federal lawsuit filed by two environmental groups seeking to stop the use of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport as a site to house undocumented detainees. The groups allege the 'reckless plan' will put at risk the ecologically sensitive Everglades wetland. In the court filing, DHS argued the facility is built and run solely by the state of Florida. The state can detain undocumented people at the facility under the 287(g) program, which allows ICE to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration enforcement duties under ICE's supervision, Giles said in the court filing. 'The ultimate decision of who to detain at the TNT Detention Facility belongs to Florida,' he said. Despite distancing itself from the facility, DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin said authorities will 'expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.' As part of the lawsuit, the Department of Justice defended the development of the facility, saying that delaying its construction 'would imperil critical immigration enforcement efforts and endanger detainees in overcrowded detention facilities.' DHS said the state has not received or applied for federal funds related to the detention center. But a declaration submitted by a Federal Emergency Management Agency official as part of the lawsuit noted a $600 million detention support grant program has been established to help the state with immigration detention. Once the program is finalized, the Florida Division of Emergency Management can apply for federal funds for the state's detention facilities. On Thursday, the US military also said it would send about 200 Marines to Florida to assist ICE as part of a broader push to deploy active-duty troops to assist with deportations. A statement from US Northern Command didn't say where in Florida the Marines would be sent, or whether they will support 'Alligator Alcatraz,' but noted they would 'perform strictly non-law enforcement duties within ICE facilities.' Nestled in the middle of Florida's humid, subtropical wetland ecosystem, 'Alligator Alcatraz' was transformed from a training and transition airport to a temporary tent city for migrants. The expected cost to run the detention center for one year is $450 million, a DHS official told CNN, adding that Florida will front the costs of the facility and then 'submit reimbursement requests' through FEMA and DHS. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the facility is necessary to alleviate burdens on the state's law enforcement agencies and jails, and touted it for being designed to be 'completely self-contained' – which has prompted local immigration rights advocates to accuse his administration of creating a facility 'engineered to enact suffering.' 'Clearly from a security perspective, if someone escapes, there's a lot of alligators you're going to have to contend (with),' DeSantis said last week. 'No one is going anywhere once you do that. It's as safe and secure as you can be.' Migrants will be housed in repurposed FEMA trailers and 'soft-sided temporary facilities,' a DHS official told CNN. The same tents are often used to house those displaced by natural disasters, like hurricanes, DeSantis' office said. They likely will provide the only shelter from Mother Nature as summer in South Florida proves to be the region's wettest season, in part due to the tropical activity of hurricane season and daily thunderstorms. State officials said they are developing evacuation plans for the facility in the event of severe weather. CNN's Shania Shelton, Chelsea Bailey and Luke Snyder contributed to this report.
