A newly operational detention center, informally called “Alligator Alcatraz,” is situated in the Florida Everglades. However, access to view the conditions inside is not being granted to everyone.
State Representative Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, reported being denied entry to the facility on Thursday. She and other Democratic colleagues spent over two hours trying to access the site.
“Have you ever tried to visit a detention center and been refused entry? It’s never happened before,” Eskamani noted during a Zoom interview while returning to Central Florida. “It wasn’t clear who was in charge. We were instructed to contact the Department of Emergency Management, but their general counsel disconnected the call when we sought more information.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management posted on social media Thursday that the first group of detainees had arrived at the site, which it says was “stood up in record time.” Officials say the facility, which was built in just eight days, can hold up to 3,000 detainees and is secured with 200 surveillance cameras and 400 personnel.
Gov. Ron DeSantis toured the facility Tuesday alongside President Donald Trump. It is located roughly 50 miles west of Miami.
“This is a temporary facility to be able to meet the needs of President Trump’s program,” DeSantis said during the tour.
Eskamani, who traveled to the facility with several other Democratic lawmakers, said she hoped to assess the safety and conditions firsthand.
“My concern is if this building is unsafe for me to tour, then how is it safe to be detaining hundreds of immigrants, let alone have individuals working in that environment?” she said.
Eskamani said she believes she was denied entry because officials “didn’t want us to see how horrifying these standards are. If they had nothing to hide, they would have let us come see.”
She said she is now exploring possible legal options to gain access to the facility.
News 6 reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management for comment and is awaiting a response.
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