Latest news with #ShevrinJones
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
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
A group of lawmakers attempt to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' amid humanitarian concerns
Florida lawmakers worried about 'humanitarian concerns' are attempting to access 'Alligator Alcatraz' Thursday to inspect the grounds of the new detention center, just hours after the arrival of its first group of detainees. 'What's happening here is un-American,' Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and four other Democratic state lawmakers said in a joint news release. 'What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems—it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people.' The lawmakers spoke to reporters outside the facility Thursday afternoon but it's unclear whether they were allowed inside. Detainees arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Thursday, following reports of flooding earlier this week. The lawmakers noted there have been reports of extreme heat, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations that 'demand immediate oversight.' President Donald Trump toured the facility Tuesday and shortly after, summer storms amid the region's hurricane season brought flooding to it, 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 facility's floor and walls tremble, reporter video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 showed. A combination of weather observations and estimates from radar indicate that anywhere from around 0.40 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 Department of Emergency Management, told CNN. 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. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said authorities will 'expand facilities and bed space in just days.' 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 Department of Homeland Security official told CNN, adding that Florida will front the costs of the facility and then 'submit reimbursement requests' through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. 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 the DeSantis 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 Department of Homeland Security 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 Devon M. Sayers, Chelsea Bailey and Luke Snyder contributed to this report.
CNN
03-07-2025
- Climate
- CNN
A group of lawmakers attempt to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' amid humanitarian concerns
Florida lawmakers worried about 'humanitarian concerns' are attempting to access 'Alligator Alcatraz' Thursday to inspect the grounds of the new detention center, just hours after the arrival of its first group of detainees. 'What's happening here is un-American,' Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and four other Democratic state lawmakers said in a joint news release. 'What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems—it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people.' The lawmakers spoke to reporters outside the facility Thursday afternoon but it's unclear whether they were allowed inside. Detainees arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Thursday, following reports of flooding earlier this week. The lawmakers noted there have been reports of extreme heat, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations that 'demand immediate oversight.' President Donald Trump toured the facility Tuesday and shortly after, summer storms amid the region's hurricane season brought flooding to it, 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 facility's floor and walls tremble, reporter video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 showed. A combination of weather observations and estimates from radar indicate that anywhere from around 0.40 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 Department of Emergency Management, told CNN. 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. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said authorities will 'expand facilities and bed space in just days.' 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 Department of Homeland Security official told CNN, adding that Florida will front the costs of the facility and then 'submit reimbursement requests' through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. 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 the DeSantis 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 Department of Homeland Security 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 Devon M. Sayers, Chelsea Bailey and Luke Snyder contributed to this report.
CNN
03-07-2025
- Climate
- CNN
A group of lawmakers attempt to visit ‘Alligator Alcatraz' amid humanitarian concerns
Florida lawmakers worried about 'humanitarian concerns' are attempting to access 'Alligator Alcatraz' Thursday to inspect the grounds of the new detention center, just hours after the arrival of its first group of detainees. 'What's happening here is un-American,' Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and four other Democratic state lawmakers said in a joint news release. 'What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems—it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people.' The lawmakers spoke to reporters outside the facility Thursday afternoon but it's unclear whether they were allowed inside. Detainees arrived at the facility in the middle of the Florida Everglades, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Thursday, following reports of flooding earlier this week. The lawmakers noted there have been reports of extreme heat, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations that 'demand immediate oversight.' President Donald Trump toured the facility Tuesday and shortly after, summer storms amid the region's hurricane season brought flooding to it, 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 facility's floor and walls tremble, reporter video from CNN affiliate Spectrum News 13 showed. A combination of weather observations and estimates from radar indicate that anywhere from around 0.40 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 Department of Emergency Management, told CNN. 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. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, said authorities will 'expand facilities and bed space in just days.' 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 Department of Homeland Security official told CNN, adding that Florida will front the costs of the facility and then 'submit reimbursement requests' through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. 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 the DeSantis 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 Department of Homeland Security 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 Devon M. Sayers, Chelsea Bailey and Luke Snyder contributed to this report.
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem lawmakers to inspect 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center, citing safety concerns
Multiple Democratic lawmakers will visit "Alligator Alcatraz," a new illegal immigrant detention center being constructed near the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, on Thursday. The "official legislative site visit" is in response to what officials claim is "a series of deeply troubling developments at the state-run immigrant detention facility," according to a news release. Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones and Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith will be joined by state representatives Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon and Michele Rayner. The visit comes days after President Donald Trump toured the state site alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Democrats alleged illegal immigrants were transferred to the detention center Wednesday night when the site was "reportedly" flooded due to rain. They claimed the rain, which rolled in less than a week after the previously unoccupied airport facility opened to illegal immigrants, "exacerbate[ed] concerns about safety and emergency readiness in an already volatile environment," according to the release. "We are exercising our legal authority as state legislators to inspect this remote, taxpayer-funded facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport," the lawmakers wrote in a joint statement. "This is not a federal project — it is fully funded, operated, and approved by the State of Florida under Governor DeSantis. And what's happening here is un-American. "Alligator Alcatraz represents a makeshift detention camp of cruelty, rooted in a corrupt, no-bid, $450 million pay-for-play scheme to enrich GOP donors under the pretense of border enforcement." The 30-square-mile property will be home to 5,000 ICE detainees and is guarded by alligators and pythons. Trump officials announced Tuesday the project was approved, and crews started working on the transformation Monday. "What we're witnessing isn't about security or solving problems — it's about inhumane political theater that endangers real people," the Democrats wrote in the statement. "Reports of extreme heat, flooding, structural issues, environmental threats, and human rights violations demand immediate oversight. As lawmakers, we have both the legal right and moral responsibility to inspect this site, demand answers, and expose this abuse before it becomes the national blueprint. "So much of this is also a distraction from the everyday issues all Floridians are facing, like housing affordability and the property insurance crisis," they added. "DeSantis should be focused on solving those issues, not creating even more chaos." The "inspection" comes two months after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center where three members of Congress also stormed the facility's gate, demanding they be allowed to conduct an "oversight visit." While Baraka was arrested for trespassing, he was released hours later and charges were dropped. In addition to the lawmakers' in-person visit, multiple environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit on Friday claiming officials needed to pause construction to allow time to evaluate the potential ecological impacts of the renovations. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Fox News Digital a "lazy" lawsuit, filed by Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity in the Southern District of Florida, "ignores the fact that this land has already been developed for a decade." DHS did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
