John,
Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have taken a decommissioned airstrip in the Everglades surrounded by the Big Cypress National Preserve and illegally built an ICE detention camp intended to imprison up to 5,000 immigrants.
Alligator Alcatraz is one of the most disturbing symbols of our broken immigration and detention system—and Congress must shut it down.
This privately run ICE detention facility in South Florida has become infamous for its horrific treatment of immigrants. Multiple reports—including firsthand accounts from detainees—describe inhumane conditions such as no water for baths, maggots in food, and lack of access to necessary medical care.1
Send a message to Congress demanding they investigate the private prison contractors behind Alligator Alcatraz and shut it down immediately.
The Big Cypress National Preserve has been home for the Miccosukee and Seminole Nations for centuries. They have stewarded their lands and waters—sacred cultural sites and ceremonial grounds are scattered throughout—and hundreds of Native peoples still reside in more than a dozen remaining traditional villages within just three miles of Alligator Alcatraz.
In an outright violation of tribal sovereignty, no one consulted either tribe, and federal environmental regulations were tossed aside as this internment camp was built in just eight days.
Experts say the detention center’s design is flawed and will compromise the safety of people being held there. Video posted by the administration on social media even showed water already covering the ground dangerously near electricity cables during a storm, as the first detainees were due to arrive.
In the last 10 years, Florida has been hit by 13 hurricanes, seven of which have been category three or higher.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the site and the wetlands immediately surrounding it are habitat for the endangered Florida panther and other iconic species. The wastewater and other contaminants from the center pose a threat to the entire Everglades ecosystem.
Congress must act now to investigate the violations of human rights and tribal sovereignty and shut down Alligator Alcatraz now.
Thank you for all you do,
Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action
[1]Florida officials deny accusations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz
