Migrant detainees being held in Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” have claimed conditions at the detention center are “grim,” citing how they’ve been fed “cold ham sandwiches,” according to The Washington Post.
Florida’s new detention center was officially approved by the Trump administration in June and opened weeks later, costing roughly $450 million for 5,000 beds to house illegal migrants and other foreign nationals. The Washington Post released a report Thursday with detainees, their relatives and former guards describing the conditions of the center.
According to the piece, sources who spoke anonymously described how the center allegedly suffered from water “pooling on the floors,” being fed “cold ham sandwiches” and lacking toiletries like deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrushes. A former guard and immigration attorney also told the outlet that, in order to pass time, the detainees were creating soccer balls out of towels and also “crafted dominoes” from cardboard lunch boxes.
“They’re laying down all day,” a former guard told The Post.
In a phone call shared with the outlet, one detainee described how he had been unable to shower for four days, while another said there had been no running water after being taken to the shower facilities. Both former staffers and detainees also complained to The Post about mosquitoes, with one saying the center had not provided bug spray and raising concerns about contracting “a disease.”
On Saturday, a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers toured the site, with Democrats and Republicans walking away with opposite views of the center. The group — which consisted of at least five members of Congress and about 20 state legislators — had been the first elected officials to oversee and inspect the facility, according to Politico.
Following their visit, Democratic Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz spoke to reporters and accused the facility of being an “internment camp,” the outlet reported. Citing complaints about sanitation, Wasserman Schultz raised concerns about the toilets with attached sinks on the tanks, which were used for both drinking water and brushing teeth, according to CNN.
The Democratic lawmaker also accused the center of feeding detainees “gray turkey and cheese sandwiches, an apple and chips,” while government employees were offered “large pieces” of roast chicken and sausages during their tour, CNN reported.
During an interview with Fox News’ Jesse Watters on Monday, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie, who led the lawmakers’ tour, said that he witnessed lawmakers “exaggerating” their experience.
In one instance, Guthrie said an individual used an infrared thermometer to inspect the heat and “pointed [it] at a light bulb,” which showed 110 degrees. Guthrie called out the move, telling them to point the thermometer at the “ambient air” — not the bulb.
In another instance, Guthrie disputed Wasserman Schultz’s claim about “gray turkey sandwiches,” saying lawmakers were about “six feet away” from the wrapped sandwich at the time of the tour.
“Well, she was about six feet away from that turkey sandwich box that was in a wrapper that I don’t know how she could tell it was gray,” Guthrie said. “However, this is, think about it like this, Jesse, individuals that go to a hospital, individuals who go and get Michelle Obama’s lunches, are getting the exact same thing.”
Republican Florida lawmakers who toured the facility have also come forward to dispute Democrats, with Florida State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia dismissing the claims and telling Politico the center is “clean, air-conditioned, and well-kept.”
“The rhetoric does not match the reality,” Ingoglia told the outlet. “It’s basically all political theater coming from the [Democrats]. What they’re saying is pure bullshit.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/us_icegov/50044720216/)
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