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The Verge
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Verge
The intolerable memes of Alligator Alcatraz
Alligator Alcatraz, Florida's hastily built, $225 million-and-counting immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, is both a de facto concentration camp and a right-wing meme. President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters are willing to excuse — or are in some cases reveling in — allegations of inhumane treatment at the facility: worms in food, floors flooded with fecal water, fluorescent lights left on for 24 hours a day, and no air conditioning at night despite South Florida's relentless humidity. To them, the whole thing is a big joke, fodder for memes that activate the base even as they turn the majority of Americans off from Trump's draconian immigration enforcement. One Republican member of Congress is also selling Alligator Alcatraz merch Laura Loomer, a close confidante of Trump's, was giddy at the prospect of potential escapees dying in the act. 'The good news is, alligators are guaranteed at least 65 million meals if we start now,' she posted on X. (The figure refers not to the estimated number of undocumented immigrants in the country but to the United States' entire Latino population.) Conservative commentator Benny Johnson compared the facility's entrance to Jurassic Park and bragged about getting official Alligator Alcatraz merch during his visit. (Before his rightward turn, and before he was fired from BuzzFeed for plagiarism, Johnson also compared the Arab Spring to Jurassic Park. It's unclear if he's seen any other movies.) One Republican member of Congress is also selling Alligator Alcatraz merch to fund her reelection campaign. There's more merch on Etsy. Obviously, there's also a shitcoin. The memes and merch are more than a get-rich-quick scheme for enterprising nativists, though grift is obviously always part of the MAGA equation. In his second term, Trump has turned immigration enforcement into a spectator sport. Far-right influencers like Chaya Raichik, better known as Libs of TikTok, have been invited to ride-alongs with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has turned her position into a sort of cowboy cop cosplay, often appearing in public in a bulletproof vest or a ten-gallon hat (or sometimes both). The official White House X account is posting 'deportation ASMR' and Studio Ghibli-fied images of crying migrants in handcuffs. There's a real glee to it. To borrow from Adam Serwer, the cruelty is the point, but there's more to it than that. At this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, Vice President JD Vance said that voters had given Trump a mandate on immigration enforcement; Trump won the popular vote in part because the public was clamoring for mass deportations. It's true that before the 2024 election, most voters expressed disapproval with President Joe Biden's border policy and seemed open to a more hardline approach to immigration. But Trump — and the zoomers presumably running the White House's social media — either haven't realized that public opinion is no longer on his side with regard to immigration, or they simply don't care. Trump seems even less beholden to public opinion in his second term than he was in his first. Since January, he has pursued deeply unpopular policies, from tariffs to completely gutting the federal government, so relentlessly that he has even lost support from his own base. Half a year into Trump's second term, it's clear that voters agreed with some of his proposals in abstract terms — they elected him because he promised to 'do something about immigration' and 'run the government like a business' — but don't like how these policies have played out in practice. A chunk of Republican voters have turned against tariffs and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Still other Trump supporters have seen their friends, relatives, and spouses targeted by ICE since the president's return to office. One naturalized citizen who voted for Trump was even stopped by ICE agents while driving to work; he now believes that ICE is racially profiling Latinos. He told a local news station that he voted for Trump because he would be targeting 'criminals, not every Hispanic, Spanish-look-alike.' Trump's approval rating on immigration is now down to 41 percent, the lowest since his second term began. Voters may have trusted Trump to get 'criminals' out of the country, but they weren't necessarily expecting his administration to indiscriminately target noncitizens (and some citizens as well), deploy the National Guard to arrest immigrants and crack down on protesters in Los Angeles, or disappear hundreds of people to a Salvadoran megaprison. In a post on X, White House adviser Stephen Miller justified the decision to sic the National Guard on protesters by saying that 'America voted for mass deportations.' Recent polling suggests that Americans are no longer on board with Trump's immigration agenda. Rather than responding to this shift in voters' sentiment, the administration appears to be doubling down on its all-or-nothing approach to immigration enforcement and to its gleeful depictions of these draconian policies online. The memes create a sort of alternate reality, a virtual universe in which everyone is still on the Trump Train and all Americans are thrilled at the prospect of feeding immigrants to alligators. This echo chamber benefits from — and is amplified by — algorithmic silos. Your average voter may read about Alligator Alcatraz in the news, but they aren't necessarily seeing Benny Johnson's concentration camp selfies. The memes are in-group signaling; they engender a sense of belonging for Trump's most ardent supporters while inuring them to the cruelty of this new era. The memes are politics disjointed from polls and demagoguery free of democracy, a sign that the White House — either out of recklessness or something much worse — does not care about elections.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
What To Know About ‘Alligator Alcatraz': Hundreds Detained Despite No Criminal Charges
A Florida-run detention facility built in just over a week on a remote airstrip in the Everglades—and designed to hold thousands of immigrants—has been described as 'vile' and inhumane by critics, but could be a template for similar facilities in other states. Work progresses on a new migrant detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," at Dade-Collier ... More Training and Transition facility in the Florida Everglades, Friday, July 4, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved The $450 million site was built on a 39-square-mile abandoned airport facility with a 10,500-foot runway in just eight days, Gov. Ron DeSantis said on a July 1 tour with President Donald Trump. It's composed of large white tents, rows of bunk beds and chain-link enclosures, with a capacity of 3,000 detainees and potential expansion to 5,000, a DHS official told CNN. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier nicknamed the site 'Alligator Alcatraz' in a June 19 announcement video on X, where he referenced its isolation and surrounding wildlife: 'Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.' The center is funded 'in large part' by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Shelter and Services Program, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said on X. After touring the site with DeSantis, Trump praised the center as 'so professional, so well done,' NPR reported, and called it an example of 'government working together.' But Democratic legislators and detainees interviewed by news organizations describe the conditions as 'vile': cramped, overheated and with a lack of access to bathrooms and showers. A list of 700 current and prospective detainees obtained by the Miami Herald revealed more than 250 have no U.S. criminal convictions or pending charges despite Trump, DeSantis and Noem asserting the detention center is necessary for detaining 'vicious' people and 'deranged psychopaths.' The hundreds of detainees with no criminal convictions or charges have immigration violations, and some are asylum seekers. About one-third of the list have criminal convictions, with charges ranging from attempted murder to traffic violations. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Miami Herald many detainees described as 'non-criminals' were 'terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more.' She said, 'Every single one of these individuals committed a crime when they came into this country illegally' and that 80% of ICE arrests involve individuals with criminal convictions or pending charges. What Are Detainees Saying Life Is Like In 'alligator Alcatraz'? Detained immigrants at the Everglades facility have characterized the cells as unsanitary and 'inhuman,' with one Venezuelan detainee characterizing the cells as 'zoo cages' in interviews with the Associated Press. The detainee said each cell houses eight beds and is riddled with mosquitoes, crickets and frogs, with detainee wrists and ankles cuffed every time they meet with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One 28-year-old green card holder said detainees 'have no way to bathe, no way to wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with pee and poop.' The detainee also said they are given two minutes to eat per day and that 'the meals have worms.' Attorneys told The AP that detainee rights to due process are being violated, with lawyers waiting hours to speak with clients, some of whom are as young as 15 and have no criminal charges. The Trump administration and its allies defend the creation and operation of the Everglades detention facility, framing it as a model for future immigration enforcement. DeSantis, in a news conference, touted the site's security: 'They ain't going anywhere once they're there unless you want them to go somewhere, because, good luck getting to civilization.' In an interview with NBC News, Noem pushed back on criticisms of the site's conditions, insisting the facility exceeds federal standards and disputing characterizations of it as a jail. She also encouraged undocumented immigrants to self-deport, saying it would increase their chances of re-entering the U.S. legally in the future Are Other States Considering 'alligator Alcatraz' Encampments? Noem said at a Saturday press conference that she is 'having ongoing conversations' with five other Republican governors 'about facilities that they may have,' but did not specify which states. South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's office said his state will potentially build a site similar to 'Alligator Alcatraz' to detain undocumented migrants, Palmetto Politics reported. Chief Critics Democratic lawmakers who visited the site told AP the facility was inhumane and unsanitary. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-Fla.) called the space 'really disturbing' and 'vile,' adding that it 'needs to be shut the hell down.' Schultz said there were cage-style units of 32 men sharing three toilet-sink devices, with the temperature at 83 degrees in the housing area entranceway and 85 degrees in a medical intake area. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) said one detainee called out, 'I'm an American citizen,' according to The AP. But state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican, said the Democrats' rhetoric 'does not match the reality' and that the facility is well-run and safe. Which Companies Are Helping Build The Facility? At least nine Florida contractors were involved in building 'Alligator Alcatraz,' including CDR Maguire and CDR Health—whose chief executives donated nearly $2 million to PACs supporting DeSantis' campaign for governor and the Republican Party of Florida, the Miami Herald reports. Matt Michelsen, the founder of Gothams LLC—another contractor involved in creating the facility—had given $25,000 to the Republican Party of Florida in 2021 and an additional $25,000 to DeSantis' 2022 PAC. GardaWorld, a large security service company, also gave $5,000 to DeSantis in 2018, and will provide correctional staffing to the site, according to sources who spoke with the Herald. The facility's placement in the Everglades has sparked backlash from the Miccoshukee and Seminole Tribes, whose leaders say the site sits on or near sacred Indigenous lands. Miccosukee Business Council secretary William Osceola told ABC that the center is about a 20-minute drive away from the main Miccosukee reservation, and criticized Uthmeier's characterization of the land as having 'not much waiting' for the detainees 'other than alligators and pythons,' saying, 'If there's only pythons and alligators, I'm wondering what I'm doing in that area and what my people and my family have been doing in that area for centuries.' What To Watch For Uthmeier, who proposed the detention center, had been a frequent Trump critic for his policies on COVID-19, abortion and transgender issues during the 2024 presidential campaign, when he was considered then-presidential candidate DeSantis's 'attack dog.' Ha may be hoping 'Alligator Alcatraz' will help get him on get on Trump's good side by helping carry out his mass deportation plans, Politico reported.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hundreds of detainees with no criminal charges sent to Trump's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
The notorious new 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration jail in the Florida Everglades contains hundreds of detainees with no criminal records or charges, it was disclosed on Sunday, as lawmakers decried 'inhumane' conditions inside after touring the facility. Donald Trump has insisted that the remote camp in swamp land populated by pythons and alligators was reserved for immigrants who were 'deranged psychopaths' and 'some of the most vicious people on the planet' awaiting deportation. But at least one detainee shouted out to politicians during Saturday's visit that he was a US citizen, the Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost said. And the Miami Herald obtained and published a list of 700 people held in cages showing that at least 250 had committed no offense other than a civil immigration violation. Authorities have refused to release a list of those sent there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice). The Florida department of emergency management, which operates the hastily assembled tent encampment, said in a brief statement: 'All detainees at the facility are illegal immigrants, and any claim otherwise it's completely false [sic]'. Frost said the revelations, and the lawmakers' visit, raised new questions about the legality of the camp, which federal agencies in court documents have insisted is entirely a state-run and -funded operation. 'There are Ice agents there every day, and I was told directly from the guy running the whole thing that Ice tells them exactly what to do, how to put everything together,' he said. 'They gave them the instructions on how to do the cages, the food, who comes in and goes out. It's Ice making all the decisions, and he was very clear that the role the state is playing is logistical. This is a federal facility. Ice is calling all the shots.' Frost said conditions for detainees were intolerable, with excessive heat and meager food portions. There were three exposed toilets for 32 people held in each cage, some often not flushing, and drinking water was provided from a spigot on the cistern, Frost said. 'It's a huge cleanliness concern,' he said. 'It's the same unit where people are shitting, and if you really need to drink water you have to wait until somebody's finished using the bathroom.' He added that detainees were guarded by private security staff from a 'hodgepodge' of companies. 'It's a huge source of taxpayer money, just going to corporations. But also what worries me is these people do not have the training you need to run a facility like this,' he said. Florida officials have denied conditions are unsafe or unhygienic in previous statements, and accused media outlets of spreading 'fake news'. Meanwhile, judges in south Florida are mulling a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups trying to halt the jail. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Friends of the Everglades group are seeking a restraining order against activity at the camp at a largely abandoned airstrip in the wilderness west of Miami. Their concerns, the CBD attorney Elise Bennett noted, were not just for conditions inside the camp. They say there is ongoing, irreparable damage caused by a network of new paved roads on fragile wildlife habitat, and light pollution in the previously dark night sky that can be seen from 15 miles (24km) away. 'We're concerned that the court has not acted yet because we are continuing to see construction and operation activities at the site,' she said. The lawsuit, in the US southern district federal court, names Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary; Todd Lyons, the acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice); and Kevin Guthrie, the director of the Florida division of emergency management (DEM), as defendants. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Even without a ruling, the case has already proven disruptive. It has cast into doubt the assertion by Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, that the state would receive federal reimbursement of the $450m it spent to set up and operate the jail in support of Trump's aggressive detention and deportation agenda. In a written response, the justice department attempted to distance itself from the facility, arguing the homeland security department had 'not implemented, authorized, directed or funded Florida's temporary detention center', and that Florida was 'constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority'. No request for federal funds was received, and no money given, it said. The statement appeared to contradict Noem's social media post insisting that Alligator Alcatraz would be 'largely funded' by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), amplified by Trump on his visit to Florida earlier this month when he told reporters: 'We took the Fema money … and we used it to build this project.' Bennett said the federal filing did not hold water, calling it 'a convenient litigation position that is belied by all the public statements these agencies and officials have been making, as well as just the nature of the activity'. 'Enforcing federal immigration law by detaining immigrants is inherently a federal action and it cannot occur without the participation of the federal agencies,' she said. A new lawsuit was filed on Thursday by a number of Democratic state lawmakers who were turned away when they tried to access the jail despite their right under Florida statute to make unannounced visits to state and local detention facilities to 'observe the unadulterated conditions' therein. 'Just hours before we were denied entry, they allowed the president of the United States and Fox News to basically run a propaganda video about how wonderful this site is, but that is not what we're hearing on the ground,' state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith said. 'What are they hiding? What is it they don't want us to see?' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. In an earlier emailed statement, Stephanie Hartman, the deputy director of communications for the DEM, accused the lawmakers of engaging in 'political theater' for trying to visit the jail, despite Trump and Noem's own well-publicized visit with a Fox camera crew in tow just 48 hours earlier. She also said they had no entitlement to visit because they were acting as individuals, not a legislative committee, and because the facility was not under the jurisdiction of the Florida corrections department. Smith said he was outraged that some undocumented detainees had no criminal convictions or charges, despite Trump touting it during his visit as a jail for the 'most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet'. Without federal reimbursement, Smith said: 'Florida taxpayers could be left holding a half-a-million-dollar bag to pay for this cruel, inhumane, un-American detention camp that will ultimately bleed money out of our public schools, out of critical government services that Floridians need, and out-of-state resources that are required to support hurricane survivors.'
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Hundreds of detainees with no criminal charges sent to Trump's ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
The notorious new 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration jail in the Florida Everglades contains hundreds of detainees with no criminal records or charges, it was disclosed on Sunday, as lawmakers decried 'inhumane' conditions inside after touring the facility. Donald Trump has insisted that the remote camp in swamp land populated by pythons and alligators was reserved for immigrants who were 'deranged psychopaths' and 'some of the most vicious people on the planet' awaiting deportation. But at least one detainee shouted out to politicians during Saturday's visit that he was a US citizen, the Democratic Florida congressman Maxwell Frost said. And the Miami Herald obtained and published a list of 700 people held in cages showing that at least 250 had committed no offense other than a civil immigration violation. Authorities have refused to release a list of those sent there by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice). The Florida department of emergency management, which operates the hastily assembled tent encampment, did not respond to a request from the Guardian for clarification or comment. Frost said the revelations, and the lawmakers' visit, raised new questions about the legality of the camp, which federal agencies in court documents have insisted is entirely a state-run and funded operation. 'There are Ice agents there every day, and I was told directly from the guy running the whole thing that Ice tells them exactly what to do, how to put everything together,' he said. 'They gave them the instructions on how to do the cages, the food, who comes in and goes out. It's Ice making all the decisions, and he was very clear that the role the state is playing is logistical. This is a federal facility. Ice is calling all the shots.' Frost said conditions for detainees were intolerable, with excessive heat and meager food portions. There were three exposed toilets for 32 people held in each cage, some often not flushing, and drinking water was provided from a spigot on the cistern, Frost said. 'It's a huge cleanliness concern,' he said. 'It's the same unit where people are shitting, and if you really need to drink water you have to wait until somebody's finished using the bathroom.' He added that detainees were guarded by private security staff from a 'hodgepodge' of companies. 'It's a huge source of taxpayer money, just going to corporations. But also what worries me is these people do not have the training you need to run a facility like this,' he said. Florida officials have denied conditions are unsafe or unhygienic in previous statements, and accused media outlets of spreading 'fake news'. Meanwhile, judges in south Florida are mulling a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups trying to halt the jail. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) and Friends of the Everglades group are seeking a restraining order against activity at the camp at a largely abandoned airstrip in the wilderness west of Miami. Their concerns, the CBD attorney Elise Bennett noted, were not just for conditions inside the camp. They say there is ongoing, irreparable damage caused by a network of new paved roads on fragile wildlife habitat, and light pollution in the previously dark night sky that can be seen from 15 miles (24km) away. 'We're concerned that the court has not acted yet because we are continuing to see construction and operation activities at the site,' she said. The lawsuit, in the US southern district federal court, names Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary; Todd Lyons, acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice); and Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida division of emergency management (DEM), as defendants. Even without a ruling, the case has already proven disruptive. It has cast into doubt Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis's assertion that the state would receive federal reimbursement of the $450m it spent to set up and operate the jail in support of Trump's aggressive detention and deportation agenda. In a written response, the justice department attempted to distance itself from the facility, arguing the homeland security department had 'not implemented, authorized, directed or funded Florida's temporary detention center', and that Florida was 'constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority'. No request for federal funds was received, and no money given, it said. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The statement appeared to contradict Noem's social media post insisting that Alligator Alcatraz would be 'largely funded' by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), amplified by Trump on his visit to Florida earlier this month when he told reporters: 'We took the Fema money … and we used it to build this project.' Bennett said the federal filing did not hold water, calling it 'a convenient litigation position that is belied by all the public statements these agencies and officials have been making, as well as just the nature of the activity'. 'Enforcing federal immigration law by detaining immigrants is inherently a federal action and it cannot occur without the participation of the federal agencies,' she said. A new lawsuit was filed on Thursday by a number of Democratic state lawmakers who were turned away when they tried to access the jail despite their right under Florida statute to make unannounced visits to state and local detention facilities to 'observe the unadulterated conditions' therein. 'Just hours before we were denied entry, they allowed the president of the United States and Fox News to basically run a propaganda video about how wonderful this site is, but that is not what we're hearing on the ground,' state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith said. 'What are they hiding? What is it they don't want us to see?' In an earlier emailed statement, Stephanie Hartman, deputy director of communications for the DEM, accused the lawmakers of engaging in 'political theater' for trying to visit the jail, despite Trump and Noem's own well-publicized visit with a Fox camera crew in tow just 48 hours earlier. She also said they had no entitlement to visit because they were acting as individuals, not a legislative committee, and because the facility was not under the jurisdiction of the Florida corrections department. Smith said he was outraged that some undocumented detainees had no criminal convictions or charges, despite Trump touting it during his visit as a jail for the 'most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet'. Without federal reimbursement, Smith said: 'Florida taxpayers could be left holding a half a million dollar bag to pay for this cruel, inhumane, un-American detention camp that will ultimately bleed money out of our public schools, out of critical government services that Floridians need, and out-of-state resources that are required to support hurricane survivors.'
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida lawmakers allowed into ‘Alligator Alcatraz' say detainees packed into cages
Deep in the hazardous and ecologically fragile Everglades, hundreds of migrants are confined in cages in a makeshift tent detention facility Florida's Republican governor calls 'safe and secure' and Democratic lawmakers call 'inhumane.' Two days after filing a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for being 'unlawfully denied entry' to inspect conditions at the facility dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz,' members of Congress and state representatives were given a limited tour Saturday to inspect conditions after calling the lack of access a 'deliberate obstruction meant to hide what's really happening behind those gates,' according to a joint statement from lawmakers. They said they heard detainees shouting for help and crying out 'libertad'— Spanish for 'freedom' — amid sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. 'They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,' Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida's 25th Congressional District, said during a news conference following their tour. The families of some of the detainees have also decried conditions in the facility, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials defend it as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons. On the tour, the lawmakers said they were not allowed to visit areas where migrants are currently being detained but instead were shown cells not yet being used. Wasserman Schultz said each cage contained three small toilets with attached sinks, which detainees use for drinking water and brushing their teeth, sharing the same water used to flush the toilets. When they toured the kitchen area, Wasserman Schultz said government employees were being offered large pieces of roast chicken and sausages, while the detainees' lunch consisted of a 'gray turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple and chips.' 'I don't see how that could possibly sustain them nutritionally or not make them hungry,' Wasserman Schultz said. 'And when you have hungry people, obviously their mood changes.' Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who was also on the tour, said the lawmakers were concerned about reports of unhygienic conditions due to toilets not working and 'feces being spread everywhere,' but were denied access from viewing units where migrants are currently detained. They were also not permitted to view the medical facilities, with officials citing HIPAA laws, despite lawmakers being allowed to examine the medical facilities at other detention facilities, he said. 'It is something everyone, whether you're Democrat, Republican or anything, should be deeply ashamed of,' Frost said. 'Immigrants don't poison the blood of this nation. They are the blood of this nation.' US Rep. Darren Soto said lawmakers also witnessed evidence of flooding, highlighting serious concerns of what could happen to detainees if there's severe weather during what forecasters said may be a busy hurricane season. 'What we saw in our inspection today was a political stunt, dangerous and wasteful,' Soto said after the tour. 'One can't help but understand and conclude that this is a total cruel political stunt meant to have a spectacle of political theater and it's wasting taxpayer dollars and putting our ICE agents, our troops and ICE detainees in jeopardy.' About 900 people are currently detained at the facility, Wasserman Schultz said during the news conference but it has the capacity to hold 3,000 people, with room for more, according to Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The wife of a 43-year-old Guatemalan man currently detained at 'Alligator Alcatraz' told CNN her husband is enduring harsh conditions similar to those described by lawmakers who toured the facility. After more than two weeks in detention, she said, he has yet to see a lawyer. 'There are too many mosquitoes … He's in a really bad condition. The power goes off at times because they're using generators,' the woman told CNN in an interview Tuesday. 'The detainees are being held in tents, and it is very hot there. They're in bad conditions. … There's not enough food. Sick people are not getting medication. Every time I ask about his situation, he tells me it's bad,' she said. The Guatemalan woman said she, her husband, and their 11-month-old baby went fishing on June 25 in the Everglades. A Florida wildlife officer approached them and asked for documents. Her husband had a valid driver's license, she said, but when the officer realized she didn't have any documents proving she was in the country legally, the officer called immigration authorities who detained the whole family. After spending seven-and-a-half hours in what she describes as a 'dirty holding cell,' she and her baby – a US citizen – were released, but her husband was detained. She now wears an ankle bracelet. Her husband later told her he remained in detention at the Dania Beach Jail, near Fort Lauderdale, for eight days, before being transferred to 'Alligator Alcatraz.' Once transferred, he was unable to take a shower for six days and there were not enough facilities for washing hands, she said. On Friday, he was woken up at 3 a.m. to take a shower because of the number of people waiting for their turn, she said. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Florida detention facility, did not immediately reply to CNN's request for comment about specific allegations about conditions there. In a written statement posted on X Tuesday, DHS said, 'ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.' In little over a week, workers transformed the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport from an 11,000-foot runway into a temporary tent city President Donald Trump toured last week. Trump raved about the facility's 'incredible' quick construction during his visit and pointed to the detention center as an example of what he wants to implement 'in many states.' The project was fast-tracked under an executive order from DeSantis, who framed illegal immigration as a state emergency. CNN's Isabel Rosales and Natalie Barr contributed to this report
