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ICE transfers detainees from Alligator Alcatraz ahead of hurricane season: what is known today
🇦🇷 Argentina /Disasters & Emergencies

ICE transfers detainees from Alligator Alcatraz ahead of hurricane season: what is known today

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transferred detainees from Florida's Alligator Alcatraz facility due to hurricane season.
  • The agency cited safety concerns but did not specify the number of detainees or their destinations.
  • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated the state does not determine which detainees are sent to the facility, which was opened to support federal immigration efforts.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Tuesday, June 16, the transfer of detainees from the Alligator Alcatraz migrant center in Florida to other facilities. The agency cited safety reasons related to the ongoing hurricane season as the justification for the move, though specific numbers of individuals relocated and their new locations were not provided.

upon entering hurricane season, the agency and the state of Florida transferred the detained immigrants for their safety.

— ICEICE explained the reasons for the detainee transfer in a statement to NBC Miami.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the facility's status during a press conference, clarifying that the state does not decide which detainees are sent there. He explained that such decisions fall under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DeSantis added that if the DHS ceases sending individuals to the facility, Florida would not maintain the detainee flow independently, noting the facility was not intended to be permanent.

Florida does not decide which detainees are sent there, as that definition corresponds to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

— Ron DeSantisGovernor DeSantis explained the state's limited role in determining detainee placements.

The Alligator Alcatraz center was established by the Florida state administration in July of the previous year to support the immigration enforcement initiatives of the Trump administration. It is situated on a remote airstrip within the Big Cypress National Preserve. DeSantis indicated that the operational need was projected to last between six months and a year and that the state receives over $600 million in reimbursements from the federal government related to the center.

the property was never intended to be permanent.

— Ron DeSantisGovernor DeSantis commented on the long-term plans for the facility.

Reports have also surfaced regarding the conditions within Alligator Alcatraz. A recent report by The Guardian highlighted allegations from over half a dozen detainees who claimed guards denied them food and water to pressure them into signing documents they did not understand. One detainee reportedly stated that water was withheld and that they had not eaten by 1:30 p.m. local time, while authorities sought signatures on unspecified documents.

guards denied them food and water to pressure them to sign documents in English that they said they did not understand.

— DetaineesAllegations reported by The Guardian described conditions inside Alligator Alcatraz.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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