A young detainee, aged 21, is sharing his experience and anxieties about his environment inside Alligator Alcatraz, the migrant detention center located in the Everglades, Florida.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Coast News has, for the first time, received firsthand accounts from within Alligator Alcatraz, the newly established migrant detention facility in the Everglades of Florida.
A Nicaraguan man, aged 21, whose name appears on a detainee list released by the Miami Herald, communicated with First Coast News through a contact named Shaunti Gibbs from Fort Lauderdale. His identity is being withheld to ensure his safety.
He’s had legal trouble in the past. Court records show that in 2023, he pleaded guilty in Broward County to two felonies — tampering with physical evidence and improper exhibition of a firearm.
Now, he’s in a legal limbo at the facility officially known as Alligator Alcatraz. Detainees are allowed to make calls, and that’s how Gibbs — his close friend — has been able to stay in contact.
Gibbs is speaking out, posting prayers for him on TikTok.
“Let no lies stand. Let no cage hold what you already set free, Lord,” she says in one of her clips.
“Wrap your arms around everyone suffering in silence,” she adds in her video titled “A prayer for the detained.”
She said she’s trying to raise legal fees to help him stay in the U.S. legally.
“I’m scared to go back”
In a video interview over Zoom, First Coast News was able to see and speak with Shaunti Gibbs face-to-face. But her friend — the 21-year-old detainee — joined only by phone. We could hear his voice, but could not see him, due to safety concerns and restrictions at the detention center.
When asked what he would say to people who believe only U.S. citizens should be allowed to stay, his answer was this:
“I don’t got no idea what I would say… I’m scared to go back to my country.”
He’s from Nicaragua — a nation where, according to Human Rights Watch, the regime leading the country is committing crimes against humanity.
Living Conditions Inside
Gibbs described what she’s learned about the conditions inside Alligator Alcatraz.
“The toilet bursted into pipes when somebody was trying to do a number 2… poop water spread everywhere.”
Her friend said he’s seen similar problems:
“There’s dirty water coming out the toilet every time, I don’t know why,” he said.
She says he loves soccer and the Bible and is now allowed to go outside for recreation. But she claims when he returns sweaty, he isn’t given a chance to shower or change clothes.
“They took them out on purpose just so they could sweat, sit in their sweat and have no clothes to put on,” Gibbs said.
“The lights stay on, 24 hours a day,” the man said.
“I know everybody has their own opinion, but in my opinion, I don’t think nobody should be treated like this.”
First Coast News reached out to the Florida Department of Emergency Management about claims detainees are living in bad conditions.
Here’s their email to us:
As stated many times before, these claims are false. The facility is in good working order, and detainees have access to drinking water, showers, and clean facilities for hygiene.
No guards are mistreating detainees. Officers are highly trained and follow all federal and state detention protocols.
Detainees have access to phones and are free to contact their attorneys at any time. They can request to see their attorneys, but attorneys must schedule the appointment time in advance. Legal resources are available and posted around the facility, and attorneys can contact legal@privacy6.com to set up appointments with their clients.
Frustrations Over Legal Help
Gibbs said the two have hired an attorney, but they say communication with that lawyer is iffy. The detainee says he’s not clear when — or even if — he’ll be granted a court date or receive any resolution to his effort to stay in the U.S.
“Nobody… since I’m here… nobody ain’t able to talk to [a] lawyer,” he says.
“These people are not telling me nothing,” he added. “They don’t say nothing.”
Governor DeSantis Defends the Facility
Governor Ron DeSantis says the facility upholds minimum standards and enforces immigration law.
“To not have illegal aliens deported to their home country — now can you imagine, as an American, you know, if you tried to like illegally enter France or Japan or China?” DeSantis said at a July press conference. “I mean, you’d be sent back — like it wouldn’t even be a question that that would happen. You wanna try to work illegally in some of those countries? No way — they would not let you. So this is just basic upholding the rule of law. I do think it’ll be beneficial.”
He also addressed concerns about the living conditions:
“This is not the Ritz-Carlton, OK?” DeSantis said. “All the minimum standards are upheld.”
But the young man inside the center believes the harsh conditions are intentional.
“They treat you bad so you can try deportation quicker, it’s a mind game,” he said.
He’s been at Alligator Alcatraz for nearly two weeks. Gibbs said it’s emotionally draining to watch him go through this.
She says he’s losing hope and going, “down, down, down.”
“I really love him. It’s hard to see anybody I love go through this,” Gibbs said.
