Latest news with #JeremyRedfern
Axios
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" aims to deter. Research says it won't
Florida's detention camp in the Everglades, dubbed " Alligator Alcatraz," is built on a simple premise: deterrence, with state and federal officials urging migrants to self-deport rather than end up behind its walls. Why it matters: Research suggests deterrence-based policies are ineffective at stopping migrants from coming to or remaining in the U.S. Context: Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that "nobody actually has to go to Alligator Alcatraz," adding that undocumented immigrants are given the chance to "self-deport." Jeremy Redfern, communications director for Attorney General James Uthmeier, who announced the camp, went further: "It's a deterrent to stop them from coming in the first place." The Florida GOP's fundraising email described the local wildlife as " bloodthirsty," and the White House shared an AI-generated image on X showing President Trump alongside alligators in ICE hats. The big picture: Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the nonpartisan American Immigration Council told Axios that state-level crackdowns may prompt some undocumented immigrants to relocate, but not leave the country. He told Axios that studies on the impact of state immigration policies have found "no evidence" of them leading to a large-scale exodus. Florida has long prided itself on being inhospitable to migrants; it was the first state to sign onto the 287(g) program, which enables police to assist in immigration enforcement, in 2002. Yet it still has one of the largest undocumented populations in the U.S. What they're saying: "The idea that you can build a detention facility to scare people into leaving the country is more fantasy than reality," Asad L. Asad, assistant professor of sociology at Stanford University, said. "Once people have settled in the U.S., like the rest of us, they go about their routines," he added. "They work, raise families and manage uncertainty as best they can." "What you will see more is the psychological fear, the psychological toll of that threat, especially in the short term." The big picture: One study found that SB 1718 — which one lawmaker said was meant to " scare" undocumented immigrants — resulted in "a psychological and economic strain" on them as well as U.S. citizens.
Fox News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Florida officials reveal criminal backgrounds of migrants held at 'Alligator Alcatraz'
EXCLUSIVE: Some individuals awaiting deportation at "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida were convicted of serious crimes, according to new information from the Florida Attorney General's office. "The left-wing press continues to spend their time amplifying false reports, but the reality is that there are monsters awaiting deportation within Alligator Alcatraz far worse than the monsters lurking in the surrounding Everglades," Jeremy Redfern, communications director for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, said in a statement. "This group of murderers, rapists, and gang members are just a small sample of the deranged psychopaths that Florida is helping President Trump and his administration remove from our country," he continued. Lazaro Rodriguez Santana, a Cuban national, was convicted in Texas of sexual assault and failure to register as a sex offender. Honduran national Jose Fortin was convicted of second-degree murder in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Furthermore, authorities say Oscar "Satan" Sanchez of Honduras is an MS-13 gang member who faced convictions for resisting arrest, conspiracy to commit murder and assault in New York, as well as RICO offenses. Guatemalan national Luis Donald Corado was convicted of burglary, forced entry, and voyeurism in Miami. Specifically, Corado's case involved him looking into a woman's window, according to the Florida official's office. Venezuelan national Wilfredo Alberto Lazama-Garcia is wanted for murder and aggravated robbery in the South American country. He is presumed to be a "gotaway" in 2021 during the border crisis. In the United States, he was convicted of conspiracy "to defraud the U.S. government in Oklahoma." Eddy Lopez Jemot of Cuba was convicted of murder, arson, and assault. He was arrested for "cutting the throat of an elderly woman" in Key Largo, Florida, and then lit her residence on fire with hopes of hiding the evidence. Later that night, he allegedly "threatened to kill" another woman via beheading. The facility is receiving initial backing by the state of Florida and is expected to receive repurposed FEMA funds on the federal level. "It's known as 'Alligator Alcatraz,' which is very appropriate, because I looked outside, and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon," Trump said while touring the facility earlier this month. "But very soon, this facility will have some of the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet." Alligator Alcatraz opened earlier this month with fierce opposition from environmentalists, who oppose its location in the Everglades, as well as some Democrats, who have been critical of the Trump administration's immigration and deportation policies. "This proposed detention center isn't just cruel, it's environmentally catastrophic. This facility would desecrate ecologically critical wetlands, trample on Tribal sovereignty, and transform one of the world's most cherished ecosystems into a prison camp for political gain," Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a June 24 news release.
