Activists in Florida call for the immediate shutdown of Alligator Alcatraz
(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Activists in southern Florida are calling for the immediate shutdown of the immigrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.
Florida nonprofits and medical professionals joined with families of detainees in the Everglades Tuesday, demanding the site be shut down due to the inhumane conditions.
One detainee called his wife during the press conference. She said he has a foot fungus due to water on the floor and is often treated harshly by the guards.
Other reports say food and water are substandard, getting prescription medication can be difficult, and the heat and humidity is dangerous.
Activists also railed against the name the Trump Administration has given the facility.
"Alligator Alcatraz was designed to be joke. Is this a joke? Is this a joke. To mock the very real suffering of migrants, to stir up fear, and to turn human rights violations into campaign slogans," said Ruth Jeannoel, an immigrant from Haiti and the Executive Director of Fanm Saj.
Florida officials say facility meets the standards required by law.
Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters Tuesday he feels some of the claims being made are exaggerated, and facilities like this are necessary to handle the Trump Adminsitration's mass deportations.
