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Former detainees at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” testified Wednesday that they were systematically denied proper legal counsel while held at the controversial immigration facility, according to statements made in federal court.
Speaking via video from Colombia and Haiti, the former detainees told a Fort Myers court that phone calls would mysteriously disconnect whenever they discussed seeking legal representation. Without access to writing materials, some resorted to scribbling attorney phone numbers on walls using soap.
“I was asked to sign documents I didn’t understand,” testified one former detainee from Haiti, speaking through a translator and identified only by initials to protect his identity. The papers, he later discovered, were self-deportation forms. Fearing a return to Haiti, he signed a second set of documents he was told would send him to Mexico instead. Despite this, he was ultimately deported to Haiti anyway.
The testimony came during a two-day hearing where civil rights attorneys sought a temporary injunction from U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell. The legal action aims to ensure detainees at the state-run Everglades facility receive the same legal access afforded to those in federally operated detention centers.
The controversial facility, built last summer at a remote Florida Everglades airstrip under Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration, has faced mounting criticism over its treatment of detainees. Attorneys for the detainees argue the center violates First Amendment rights by creating significant barriers to legal representation.
According to the lawsuit, attorneys must make appointments three days in advance, unlike other immigration facilities where lawyers can visit during regular hours. Detainees are frequently transferred before scheduled legal meetings, and scheduling delays have prevented crucial attorney consultations before important case deadlines.
State officials named as defendants denied restricting attorney access, claiming any protocols exist for security and staffing reasons. Federal defendants similarly argued no constitutional rights were being violated.
Mark Saunders, representing the private contractor overseeing attorney communications at the facility, testified that detainees have been meeting with their lawyers. He stated the detention center implemented a mandate that no attorney would be turned away, and claimed written requests from attorneys receive responses within 24 hours.
Juan Lopez Vega, deputy field office director of ICE’s enforcement and removal operations in Miami, testified after unsuccessfully attempting to quash a court subpoena. Despite his oversight responsibilities for detainees at the state-run facility, Vega admitted he had visited the center only once.
This case represents one of three federal lawsuits challenging “Alligator Alcatraz.” Another lawsuit arguing that immigration is exclusively federal jurisdiction, making Florida’s operation of such a facility unlawful, concluded earlier this month when the plaintiff agreed to deportation. A third lawsuit in Miami briefly ordered the facility closed last summer over environmental impact concerns, but an appellate court temporarily halted that decision, allowing operations to continue.
Florida’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement under DeSantis has positioned the state as a leader in supporting former President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Beyond the Everglades facility, which began receiving detainees in July, Florida has opened another immigration detention center in the northeast and is planning a third in the Florida Panhandle.
Nationwide, immigration advocates have raised concerns about several detention facilities, including ICE centers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Miami, and multiple California locations. Common complaints include inadequate food and legal access restrictions.
The national ICE detainee population has approximately doubled to 70,000 since Trump left office, fueled by a $45 billion funding increase for immigration detention. This figure excludes state-run facilities like “Alligator Alcatraz.”
As the legal battles continue, immigrant rights advocates maintain that basic constitutional protections, including access to legal counsel, must apply to all people within U.S. borders regardless of immigration status or the nature of the facility where they are detained.
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8 Comments
This is a concerning report about the alleged mistreatment of immigration detainees at this facility. Denying access to legal counsel is a serious violation of rights. I hope the courts can get to the bottom of this and ensure proper protections are in place.
Denying legal access to immigration detainees is a serious violation of their rights. I’m glad civil rights attorneys are taking this to court to seek an injunction and ensure proper protections are in place. This needs to be addressed urgently.
Signing forms that you don’t understand is extremely troubling, especially if it results in involuntary deportation. The lack of access to writing materials and disconnected phone calls also raise red flags. This needs to be thoroughly investigated.
The lack of access to legal counsel and the alleged coercion of detainees to sign deportation documents are very serious issues that need to be addressed immediately. This kind of abuse of power cannot be tolerated in any immigration facility.
The allegations of denying legal access and coercing deportation signatures are extremely troubling. Immigration facilities must uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of detainees.
This is a concerning report about the treatment of detainees at this facility. Denying access to legal counsel and coercing signatures on deportation documents is a clear violation of due process. I hope the courts can intervene to address these issues.
If these allegations are true, it’s a clear abuse of power and a denial of due process. Immigration facilities should uphold the rule of law, not undermine it. I hope the courts can swiftly intervene to protect the rights of detainees.
This is a very troubling report about the treatment of detainees at this facility. Denying access to legal counsel and coercing signatures on deportation documents is unacceptable. I hope the courts can put a stop to these alleged abuses.