Latest news with #LeamsyLaFigura
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No Water To Take A Bath': Detainees Allege Horrific Conditions At Florida Detention Facility
Detainees at a remote immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades say there's no water for bathing, bright lights that never turn off, and massive mosquitoes everywhere, according to multiplenewsreports. The detention site, which Republicans have dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' was hastily constructed in recent weeks and is touted by the Trump administration as a hyper-secure facility surrounded by alligators and snakes. Reports from detainees and their family members detail a facility with abysmal living conditions and little access to counsel. 'There's over 400 people here. There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath,' Leamsy La Figura, a Cuban musician and detainee who faces charges of aggravated assault, told CBS News Miami. Multiple women similarly told The Miami Herald that their husbands, who are detainees at the facility, couldn't shower for multiple days. Two women told the publication that there wasn't water to flush the toilets when their husbands first arrived. 'The condition they're going through, they're horrible,' Eveling Ortiz, the girlfriend of a detainee named Vladimir Miranda, told NBC 6 South Florida. 'They don't have water, they can't use the bathroom properly. They're not taking a bath.' La Figura also claimed the food was infested with bugs and large mosquitoes were prevalent. 'They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants,' he said. One of the women who spoke with the Herald said her husband had witnessed some of the largest mosquitoes he'd ever seen flying overhead. Multiple detainees referenced bright lights that were on for 24 hours a day, as well as sweltering temperatures. Because it's a temporary facility, experts have raised concerns about its ability to handle the oppressive heat in the region. 'I'm on the edge of losing my mind. I've gone three days without taking my medicine,' an unnamed detainee told CBS News Miami. 'It's impossible to sleep with this white light that's on all day.' A DHS spokesperson posted on X, formerly Twitter, that one detainee had been transported to the hospital, though they were not admitted. A spokeswoman for Florida's Division of Emergency Management told The Miami Herald that the detainees' allegations about the facility were 'untrue.' 'Bugs and environmental factors are minimized in the facility, restraints are only utilized during transport outside of the detention centers, and visitation arrangements can be made upon request,' said Stephanie Hartman, the spokeswoman. 'All plumbing systems are working and operational.' DHS also countered these allegations in a statement on X suggesting that they were part of a 'false narrative.' Florida's Division of Emergency Management and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a HuffPost request for comment. In addition to the concerning physical conditions of the facility, at least one attorney has had difficulty reaching a client inside the detention site, The Herald reports. Ortiz also told NBC 6 South Florida that detainees weren't able to access immigration attorneys. The Florida GOP Is Selling 'Alligator Alcatraz' Merch With No Remorse Trump Makes Cruel Joke About 'Alligator Alcatraz' Immigrant Escapees Ex-GOP Rep. Blames Himself For Inspiring Trump's Alligator Obsession
CBS News
08-07-2025
- CBS News
Alligator Alcatraz detainees allege inhumane conditions at immigration detention center
Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, arrested last week in Miami-Dade on assault charges, was transferred to South Florida's new immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades, the singer confirmed in a phone call. He and other detainees claim they are enduring inhumane conditions at the site, including lack of access to water, inadequate food and denial of religious rights. Alligator Alcatraz was built in a matter of days on a rarely used municipal airport located about 50 miles west of the City of Miami. The first group of detainees arrived at the center on July 3, according to state Attorney General James Uthmeier. La Figura, whose real name is Leamsy Isquierdo, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. He was initially held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) before being transferred to Alligator Alcatraz. "There's no water to take a bath" In a phone call from inside the facility, La Figura described what he called horrific conditions. "I am Leamsy La Figura. We've been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There's over 400 people here. There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath," he said. He claimed the food at the immigration facility is scarce and unsanitary. "They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants," La Figura said. Detainees say rights are being violated Other detainees echoed La Figura's concerns, alleging violations of their basic rights. "They're not respecting our human rights," one man said during the same call. "We're human beings; we're not dogs. We're like rats in an experiment." "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," he added. A third detainee, who said he is Colombian, described deteriorating mental health and lack of access to necessary medical care. "I'm on the edge of losing my mind. I've gone three days without taking my medicine," he said. "It's impossible to sleep with this white light that's on all day." He also claimed his Bible was confiscated. "They took the Bible I had and they said here there is no right to religion. And my Bible is the one thing that keeps my faith, and now I'm losing my faith," he said. La Figura's girlfriend said the couple shares a 4-year-old daughter. Florida authorities have not responded to inhumane conditions allegations Authorities have not yet responded to the allegations made by detainees at the facility. CBS News Miami reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management but has not heard back. FDEM was the engine behind Alligator Alcatraz, using the state's emergency management tools and funding to build, staff and operate the detention facility. The detention has faced intense criticism over human rights, environmental impact, oversight and the legality of commandeering protected Everglades land.
