EVERGLADES, Fla. — Community groups are holding a vigil outside the newly built detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as Alligator Alcatraz, to protest its use for immigration enforcement.
The vigil, scheduled for July 4th, coincides with the deployment of hundreds of Marines to assist with operations at the facility. The center will accommodate thousands of undocumented immigrants who are in the process of deportation.
Democratic lawmakers, including Florida State House Representative Anna Eskamani, were prevented from entering the facility to evaluate conditions, citing a lack of transparency in the process. Eskamani criticized the facility, saying, “This process has occurred with no transparency whatsoever, with Governor Ron DeSantis handing out contracts to his friends to build what is essentially a concentration camp.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management cited unspecified “safety concerns” as the reason for denying lawmakers access to the facility. The structure was quickly built in less than 10 days under the management of the state’s emergency division. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the impact of the facility on wildlife and native lands in the Everglades.
Luna Metzili from Unidos in Mockali commented, “We are seeing people who have the right to be here, and have fought to be here for so long, to take that away and say it’s for the greater good. I don’t see the point or relevance in that.” Another detention center is expected to open soon in Jacksonville, Florida, raising further questions about the cost and funding sources for these facilities.
The opening of Alligator Alcatraz has sparked major controversy, with community and environmental groups protesting its effects on the Everglades and the treatment of undocumented immigrants.
The situation stays tense as the facility begins operations amid protests and political scrutiny.
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