Government Black Site "Alligator Alcatraz" Disappearing Hundreds
"Alligator Alcatraz," which was
supposed to shut down after a lawsuit by the Miccosukee Tribe
and an
alliance of environmental groups succeeded, is back operating at
its
nearly full capacity of 3,000 people illegally detained. Located
in the
Florida everglades, in hurricane season, it remains unsafe with
horrendous conditions where people are packed in cages in tents,
unable
to tell if it is day or night.[1]
The people being detained have also filed another lawsuit,
demanding
that their rights to see their lawyers, due process and for
decent food
and medical care be met.
Instead, hundreds have been disappeared without the knowledge of families or lawyers, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) refuses to provide information. Sometimes, the disappeared have been deported without trials or even the minimal due process and families and lawyers only find out afterward. Others have been found weeks later at distant detention camps elsewhere in the country. Some have been disappeared and there is no knowledge of their whereabouts.
The
federal government is putting "Alligator Alcatraz" forward as a
"model"
for other states to follow. As one of the advocates fighting for
the
workers detained put it, "This mismanaged state-run facility is
essentially operating like a U.S. black site, people are being
disappeared, and the cruelty and chaos is by design." This is
consistent with efforts by the presidency to impose war-like
conditions, as is occurring in Portland, Chicago, DC, and Los
Angeles,
while securing the support of government officials in as many
states as
possible. Florida and Texas governors are among those joining
the
federal militarization, and what Trump calls "the war from
within,"
including these unjust and illegal "black sites."
The corruption of the courts is also on display in this case. "Alcatraz" is persisting because a federal appeals court overturned the judge who initially ruled it must be shut down as it was unsafe and violated federal environmental laws. The appeals court falsely claimed "Alcatraz" was a "state" project and did not come under federal laws concerning the environment. In fact, Florida got $608 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for "Alligator Alcatraz" and other ICE-related projects
Organized resistance has continued, demanding that the detention camp be closed. Lawyers and activists are also fighting to visit with the workers detained and secure their release.
Note
1. See "Protests Against 'Alligator Alcatraz' Detention Camp in South Florida," TML Supplement, July 14, 2025.
This article was published in
Volume 55
Number 44 - October 21, 2025
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2025/Articles/TS55446.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca