The newly established immigrant detention center located deep in the Florida Everglades lacks basic amenities such as pencils, books, or televisions for its detainees. The facility’s lights remain on throughout the night, and during the frequent summer rains, the tents sheltering detainees develop leaks, allowing insects to enter.
Several detainees, speaking via phone interviews, recounted limited access to showers, insufficient meals that often felt like mere snacks, widespread flu-like illnesses, and chronic sleep deprivation. They expressed frustration over the absence of clear information, recreational activities, and necessary medications.
One detainee, Rick Herrera, described the environment as volatile, referring to it as a “tinderbox.” Over five days, he repeatedly reached out to provide an uncommon perspective on the tumultuous early period of what experts note is the only state-operated immigration detention facility in the country.
Florida hastily launched the center—dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” due to its isolated, swampy setting—on July 3, aiming to bolster immigration enforcement efforts by increasing detention capacity. Homeland Security officials have indicated that other states may consider adopting similar models.
Governor Ron DeSantis has aggressively pursued stringent immigration policies, authorizing state and local law enforcement to assist federal authorities as a “force multiplier.”
The creation of the Everglades detention center was an unprecedented move, utilizing emergency state powers. Historically, the federal government has managed immigration detention, primarily focusing on individuals recently apprehended for illegal entry or those with criminal convictions or deportation orders. However, enforcement priorities have shifted, broadening the scope of detention.
This facility operates within the framework of the 287(g) agreement, which allows local officials to detain migrants on behalf of federal immigration authorities. Yet, it remains unclear when or if detainees at the Everglades center will be transferred to federal custody prior to deportation.
According to an anonymous government source familiar with detainee data, most individuals held at the center lack criminal convictions. Some were transferred from local jails after minor infractions such as traffic stops, while others arrived from federal custody.
Another official, speaking anonymously, noted that approximately 60 percent of detainees either have criminal convictions or face pending charges.
Governor DeSantis is reportedly considering establishing a similar detention facility in northern Florida. However, legal challenges persist, as courts have reaffirmed that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. Recently, the Supreme Court declined to reinstate a Florida law that would have criminalized unauthorized entry into the state.
A former Justice Department official cautioned that states are not authorized to create independent immigration detention systems, emphasizing concerns about freedom and accountability.
When questioned about the Everglades center, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson highlighted ongoing efforts to implement rapid and cost-effective measures to enhance deportation operations.
Although the former president made a high-profile visit to the center, federal authorities have distanced themselves from direct involvement, stating the facility is under state jurisdiction. In response to environmental lawsuits against the center’s construction, ICE officials clarified their role was limited to site inspections and operational discussions, with final decisions on detainees resting with Florida.
Detainees held at the Everglades center are not listed in ICE’s public database, complicating efforts by family members and legal representatives to track their status or deportation outcomes. The facility, with a capacity of around 1,000 beds divided into fenced units housing 32 men each, reportedly held approximately 900 detainees recently, predominantly Hispanic.
Nationwide, immigration detention centers have faced allegations of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, although authorities have denied these claims. The Everglades facility’s challenges are exacerbated by its rapid construction and remote location, situated on a former airfield lacking basic infrastructure, requiring external removal of waste.
State officials have dismissed detainees’ accounts of poor conditions as entirely inaccurate, asserting the facility complies with all required standards and functions properly.
Family members and attorneys report being denied visitation rights. While detainees have access to unlimited, free phone calls, these communications may be monitored or recorded. Some detainees and their relatives have requested anonymity due to fears of retaliation.
Following an invitation, members of Congress and state legislators toured the facility after earlier unannounced visits by Democratic lawmakers were denied access. The latter have initiated legal action to secure oversight rights.
Post-tour, a Republican state senator described the accommodations as superior to his own home bedding. Conversely, several Democratic legislators criticized the visit as sanitized, asserting conditions were worse than those in federal detention centers and condemning the use of taxpayer funds to detain individuals in such facilities.
The political presence drew a modest crowd along U.S. Highway 41, a two-lane road traversing the Everglades. Among attendees was Benita Mendoza, whose husband, Jordan Márquez, a Cuban immigrant detained early on at the center, shared concerns about his wellbeing.
Ms. Mendoza reported that her husband frequently asks about the date and time and has not consistently received his prescribed blood pressure medication.
Protesters gathered outside the center that day, including supporters displaying American flags alongside signs reading “SEND MORE GATORS!!” Vendors sold facility-themed merchandise, while passersby recorded videos highlighting the scene.
Supporters argue that the facility’s remote and inhospitable environment, inhabited by alligators and invasive pythons, reduces security risks. However, these animals seldom attack humans, and the Everglades have long been home to Native American communities such as the Miccosukee tribe.
Betty Osceola, a Miccosukee tribal member living nearby, has protested the detention center, citing environmental concerns.
Florida estimates the center’s annual operating costs at roughly $450 million, partially offset by federal emergency management funds. Critics highlight that the per-detainee expense exceeds that of state prisons or federal detention centers. Emergency no-bid contracts awarded during construction reportedly benefited political donors aligned with the state’s leadership.
A group of detainees, including Mr. Herrera, arrived recently but were not immediately processed. They were confined on a bus overnight, shackled and without access to food or water, according to their accounts. Mr. Herrera expected to be sent to a federal ICE facility closer to Miami but was instead taken to the Everglades center.
Inside the facility, detainees were assigned to one of eight fenced units within a large tent; those with serious criminal histories wore red wristbands. Mr. Herrera, 55, who was released from prison two years ago after serving time for carjacking, has lived in the United States since childhood but lacks citizenship documentation, complicating his deportation.
He described the Everglades center as markedly different from federal prisons and ICE detention centers he had experienced: there were no posted rules, no inspector general contacts, no law or religious materials, no outdoor recreation (at least in his unit), and no commissary or vending machines. Background noise during a phone call included detainees shouting “Libertad! Libertad!” in Spanish.
Another detainee from Cuba, Alexander Boni, 32, reported requesting a face mask after others fell ill but never received one.
He described the situation inside as desperate.
To occupy themselves, detainees fashioned chess pieces and simple dominoes from paper scraps, using grease from metal bunk beds to color the black chess pieces.
Mr. Herrera was informed by guards on Tuesday that he would be transferred, though the destination was not disclosed. Subsequently, his lawyer was notified that he had been moved to the ICE detention center in Krome, near Miami, his originally intended location.
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