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Globe and Mail
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Democrat and Republican lawmakers at odds after state-arranged tour of ‘Alligator Alcatraz' detention centre
Democratic lawmakers condemned Florida's new Everglades immigration detention centre after visiting Saturday, describing it as crowded, unsanitary and bug-infested. Republicans on the same tour said they saw nothing of the sort at the remote facility that officials have dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' The state-arranged tour came after some Democrats were blocked earlier from viewing the 3,000-bed detention centre that the state rapidly built on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland. So many state legislators and members of Congress turned up Saturday that they were split into multiple groups. 'There are really disturbing, vile conditions and this place needs to be shut the hell down,' U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, told reporters after visiting the agglomeration of tents, trailers and temporary buildings. 'This place is a stunt, and they're abusing human beings here.' U.S. detainees describe worm-filled food, inhuman treatment at 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant centre Cage-style units of 32 men share three combination toilet-sink devices, the visitors measured the temperature at 28°C in a housing area entranceway and 29°C in a medical intake area, and grasshoppers and other insects abound, she and her fellow Florida Democrats said. Although the visitors said they were not able to speak with the detainees, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, also a Democrat, said one called out 'I'm an American citizen!' and others chanted 'Libertad!,' Spanish for 'freedom.' State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Florida, countered that he had seen a well-run, safe facility where the living quarters were clean and the air conditioning worked well. 'The rhetoric coming out of the Democrats does not match the reality,' said Ingoglia, who said he toured in the same group as Wasserman Schultz. Ingoglia said a handful of detainees became 'a little raucous' when the visitors appeared, but he did not make out what they were saying. State Sen. Jay Collins was in another group and said he also found the detention centre to be clean and functioning well: 'No squalor.' Collins, a Republican, said he saw backup generators, a tracking system for dietary restrictions and military-style bunks with good mattresses. The sanitation devices struck him as appropriate, if basic. 'Would I want that toilet-and-sink combination at my bathroom at the house? Probably not, but this is a transitional holding facility,' Collins said by phone. Journalists were not allowed on the tour, and lawmakers were instructed not to bring phones or cameras inside. U.S. Supreme Court keeps block on Florida immigration law Trump tours Florida immigration lockup, jokes about escapees having to run from alligators Messages seeking comment were sent to the state Division of Emergency Management, which built the facility, and to representatives for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis spokesperson Molly Best highlighted one of Ingoglia's upbeat readouts on social media. Across the state in Tampa, federal Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that of the Everglades detention centre that 'any issues that were there have been addressed.' She added that she has talked with five unnamed Republican governors about modelling other facilities on it. DeSantis and fellow Republicans have touted the makeshift detention centre, constructed in days as an efficient and get-tough response to President Donald Trump's call for mass deportations. The first detainees arrived July 3, after Trump toured and praised the facility. Described as temporary, it is meant to help the Republican president's administration reach its goal of boosting migrant detention capacity from 41,000 people to at least 100,000. The Florida facility's remote location and its name – a nod to the notorious Alcatraz prison that once housed federal inmates in California – are meant to underscore a message of deterring illegal immigration. Ahead of the facility's opening, state officials said detainees would have access to medical care, consistent air conditioning, a recreation yard, attorneys and clergy members. But detainees and their relatives and advocates have told The Associated Press that conditions are awful, with worm-infested food, toilets overflowing onto floors, mosquitoes buzzing around the fenced bunks, and air conditioners that sometimes shut off in the oppressive South Florida summer heat. One man told his wife that detainees go days without getting showers. Judge orders Trump administration to curtail immigration arrests in California Division of Emergency Management spokesperson Stephanie Hartman called those descriptions 'completely false,' saying detainees always get three meals a day, unlimited drinking water, showers and other necessities. 'The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,' she said. Five Democratic state lawmakers tried to visit the site July 3 but said they were denied access. The state subsequently arranged Saturday's tour. The lawmakers have sued over the earlier denial, accusing the DeSantis administration of impeding their oversight authority. A DeSantis spokesperson has called the lawsuit 'dumb.'
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Lawmakers visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' after being blocked
OCHOPEE, Florida: Democratic lawmakers condemned Florida's new Everglades immigration detention center after a state-arranged visit Saturday, describing a crowded, unsanitary and bug-infested facility that officials have dubbed ' Alligator Alcatraz.' A Republican on the same tour said he saw nothing of the sort. The tour came after some Democrats were blocked earlier from viewing the 3,000-bed detention center that the state rapidly built on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland. So many state legislators and members of Congress turned up Saturday that they were split into multiple groups to view the facility. 'There are really disturbing, vile conditions and this place needs to be shut the hell down,' Rep. US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, told reporters after visiting. 'This place is a stunt, and they're abusing human beings here.' Cage-style units of 32 men share three combination toilet-sink devices, the visitors measured the temperature at 83 degrees in one area that was billed as air-conditioned and grasshoppers and other insects abound, she and other Democrats said. Although the visitors said they weren't able to speak with the detainees, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democrat from Florida, said one called out 'I'm an American!' and others chanting, 'Libertad!,' a Spanish word for 'freedom.' State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Florida, countered that he had seen a well-run, safe facility where the living quarters were clean and the air conditioning worked well. He recalled that a handful of detainees became 'a little raucous' when the visitors appeared but said he didn't make out what they were saying. 'The rhetoric coming out of the Democrats does not match the reality,' he said by phone. 'It's a detention center, not the Four Seasons.' Journalists weren't allowed on the tour, and lawmakers were instructed not to bring phones or cameras inside. Messages seeking comment were sent to the state Division of Emergency Management, which built the facility, and to representatives for Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis spokesperson Molly Best highlighted one of Ingoglia's upbeat readouts on social media. DeSantis and fellow Republicans have touted the makeshift detention center — an agglomeration of tents, trailers and temporary buildings constructed in a matter of days — as an efficient and get-tough response to President Donald Trump's call for mass deportations. The first detainees arrived July 3, after Trump toured and praised the facility. Described as temporary, the detention center is meant to help the Republican president's administration reach its goal of boosting the United States' migrant detention capacity from 41,000 people to at least 100,000. The Florida facility's remote location and its name — a nod to the notorious Alcatraz prison that once housed federal inmates in California — are meant to underscore a message of deterring illegal immigration. Ahead of the facility's opening, state officials said detainees would have access to medical care, consistent air conditioning, a recreation yard, attorneys and clergy members. But detainees and their relatives and advocates have told The Associated Press that conditions are awful, with worm-infested food, toilets overflowing onto floors, mosquitoes buzzing around the fenced bunks, and air conditioners that sometimes shut off in the oppressive South Florida summer heat. One man told his wife that detainees go days without getting showers. Florida Division of Emergency Management spokesperson Stephanie Hartman called those descriptions 'completely false,' saying detainees always get three meals a day, unlimited drinking water, showers and other necessities. 'The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,' she said. Five Democratic state lawmakers tried to visit the site when it opened July 3 but said they were denied access. The state subsequently arranged Saturday's tour. The lawmakers have sued over the denial, saying that DeSantis' administration is impeding lawmakers' oversight authority. A DeSantis spokesperson has called the lawsuit 'dumb.' As Democratic officials headed into the facility, they said they expected to be given a sanitized and limited view. Wasserman Schultz told reporters the lawmakers came anyway because they wanted to ask questions and get a sense of the structure and conditions.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local branch of NAACP will hold annual Freedom Fund Awards & Banquet on April 25
The local branch of the NAACP is hosting its 43rd Freedom Fund Awards & Banquet on April 25 at 6 p.m. at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave., Ocala. This year's theme is "Seeing Beyond Today." The guest speaker will be U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democrat from Orlando. Frost is one of four House Democrats who have gone to El Salvador seeking the return of of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a deported Maryland man. Anyone interested in attending the event can contact the local branch of the NAACP at (352) 351-4560, Zelle or Cashapp ZELLE: MARIONCOUNTYFLNAACP@ or CASHAPP: $NAACPMARIONCOUNTYFL. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Chairperson Barbara Fitos at barbarafitos@ or Secretary Sarah Greene at sarah_greene2008@ Contact Austin L. Miller at This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Freedom Fund Awards & Banquet for NAACP on April 25 in Ocala, Florida
