In Tampa, Florida, a group of five Democratic legislators has initiated legal action against the state following their exclusion from Alligator Alcatraz. These lawmakers contend that Governor Ron DeSantis breached both state law and the Florida Constitution by not permitting their entry.
The lawsuit wants to know what authority do the state and the governor have to block legislators from entering Alligator Alcatraz.
These legislators, who have also publicly shared that they were denied access, assert that the detention center operates as a “modern-day concentration camp.” Their lawsuit aims to challenge this alleged prohibition.
“The lights are on 24 hours, so they don’t have the ability to really get great sleep. The food was really bad,” said Attorney Josephine Arroyo.
Arroyo spoke out about the conditions at the facility where her client was recently taken to.
On Wednesday, state officials extended an invitation to all legislators for a tour of the facility over the upcoming weekend. Governor DeSantis discussed this development during an interview with Fox News, which was subsequently shared on his X account on Thursday.
“What we’re not going to do is provide them with a platform to virtue signal and have some politicized photo op,” said the governor.
DeSantis said the facility was built in record time and will be reimbursed by the federal government. The lawmakers said the center was built with $450 million of Florida taxpayer money, and said it is not sanctioned or reimbursable by the federal government.
They noted Florida statutes saying lawmakers are entitled to conduct unannounced visits to any state or local detention facility. They said the lawsuit is about protecting vulnerable people and defending the rule of law.
“Alligator Alcatraz is going to enhance the ability of the federal government to do more deportations of illegal aliens. That’s what people want to see. That’s what a lot of us voted for. And that’s what the rule of law calls for,” DeSantis said.
The governor’s office sent News Channel 8 the following statement addressing the lawsuit:
“Yesterday, the Florida Division of Emergency Management invited all Florida legislators to tour Alligator Alcatraz this weekend. Today, five Democrat legislators responded by filing a frivolous lawsuit demanding access to Alligator Alcatraz. The State is looking forward to quickly dispensing with this dumb lawsuit.”
The lawmakers do plan to attend this weekend’s tour but say they will revisit unannounced.
