Records Show Hundreds of Detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Face No Criminal Charges in America

The newly built migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” is housing hundreds of immigrants who face no criminal charges in America, according to recently unearthed records.Among the hundreds confined at the makeshift detention center — housed under tents and behind chain-link fencing on a defunct airstrip — are more than 250 people who have no criminal history in America and are accused only of immigration violations, according to a report from the Tampa Bay Times. These individuals were swept up alongside those accused or convicted of crimes.The newspaper acquired a list of more than 700 individuals either held at the swamp prison or slated for transfer there. Of those, nearly a third have criminal convictions on charges ranging from traffic violations to illegal re-entry into the country to attempted murder, while more than 100 others face charges but have not been convicted.“That place is supposedly for the worst criminals in the U.S.,” the nephew of a 56-year-old Nicaraguan man taken to the facility following a traffic stop, Walter Jara, said. The uncle, Denis Alcides Solis Morales, is accused of immigration violations but the list makes no mention of convictions or pending criminal charges.Mr. Jara said that his uncle arrived in the United States legally under a humanitarian parole program and has a pending asylum case.A Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said that just because detained individuals don’t face criminal charges in America doesn’t mean they are innocent.“Many of the individuals that are counted as ‘non-criminals’ are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters, and more; they just don’t have a rap sheet in the U.S.,” Ms. McLaughlin told the Times. “Further, every single one of these individuals committed a crime when they came into this country illegally. It is not an accurate description to say they are ‘non-criminals.’”Among those being detained at the facility is a man who was originally granted protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.The man — whose identity is being shielded by his legal team — was brought to America from Mexico as a child and has called the United States home for two decades. He secured legal protection under the DACA program, which protects young immigrants from deportation.“The narrative is that only violent criminals are being sent to Alligator Alcatraz. We don’t know why,” the man’s attorney, Josephine Arroyo, told the Miami Herald.Also Monday, DHS officials responded to a report from NBC News saying immigrants held in ICE detention centers in at least seven states are complaining of hunger, food shortages, and spoiled food.The network quoted an unidentified former ICE official saying even though the agency has the flexibility to reallocate funds to accommodate increased immigrant detention costs, facilities struggle to prepare for sudden daily surges in population, which can result in delayed meal service or reduced food portions.DHS officials responded with a post on X dismissing the NBC report as “FAKE NEWS!”“Any claim that there is a lack of food or subprime conditions at ICE detention centers are FALSE,” the post reads. “All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. Meals are certified by dieticians.“Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.”

Records Show Hundreds of Detainees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Face No Criminal Charges in America

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