Florida Lawmakers Denied Entry to Controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" Detention Camp
Florida Democratic lawmakers were blocked Thursday from inspecting the controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention facility in the Everglades, despite having a statutory right to enter and conduct oversight.
State Senator Shevrin Jones and Representatives Michele Rayner, Anna Eskamani, Angie Nixon, and Carlos Guillermo Smith arrived at the newly constructed facility at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport to investigate mounting concerns over its humanitarian conditions, infrastructure problems, and potential legal violations. However, the delegation was stopped at the gates by state officials who cited vague “safety concerns.” Lawmakers put in a call to Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, but that call was abruptly terminated.
"This is a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to conceal human rights violations from the public eye," the lawmakers said in a joint statement, adding, "If the facility is unsafe for elected officials to enter, then how can it possibly be safe for those being detained inside?"
Representative Rayner underscored the disturbing implications of the state unlawfully blocking Florida legislators from fulfilling their oversight role. "This isn’t immigration policy — it’s authoritarianism in real time," Rayner said. She criticized the DeSantis administration for prioritizing the rapid construction of a detention center while neglecting Florida's ongoing property insurance crisis, public education funding shortfalls, and healthcare access.
The detention facility, expected to cost approximately $450 million per year, has drawn criticism for being funded largely through no-bid contracts to GOP donors, with money apparently pulled from a hurricane recovery fund. The lawmakers pledged to continue pursuing legal remedies and transparency, stating they will not be deterred from holding Governor DeSantis and his administration accountable.
"If there's nothing inhumane happening, if there's nothing cruel that's happening," said Rayner, "why can I get into any [other] detention facility throughout the state, but not this one?"