Photo produced by the Department of Homeland Security, Public Domain
Singer Leamsy La Figura and two other men arrested at Florida's notorious immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" have alleged abuse in a phone call obtained by Telemundo July 7. This footage offers the public its first glimpse into the treatment of detainees inside this controversial detention center.
One of the men identified himself as Cuban artist Leamsy “La Figura” Izquierdo, who was arrested in Miami-Dade County last week on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon before being transferred to “Alligator Alcatraz”:
“I’m Leamsy The Figure. We’ve been here on Alcatraz since Friday. There are over 400 people here. There’s no water to bathe in. I haven’t been able to for four days.”
The authorities built “Alligator Alcatraz”, an immigration detention center, moving at high speed in an ecologically important area of the Florida Everglades. It has been nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” for its unconventional design: it seeks to use the Everglades’ dangerous elements as a “natural barrier” to keep prisoners inside, similar to how Alcatraz used the surrounding, shark-infested waters to prevent escapes.
Call Analysis: Leamsy The Figure
In his appeal, The Figure describes the deplorable conditions that immigrants detained at "Alligator Alcatraz" allegedly endure. The Figure said:
“Here we are, locked in a tights shirt…”
Referring to the large volume of insects that occupy the Everglades swamps, where Alligator Alcatraz was built, The Figure said:
“Mosquitoes look like elephants.”
The Cuban singer also denounced that the detainees do not receive adequate food:
“They give us food once a day, food that even has worms in it.”
Analysis of the Call: Other Prisoners
Two other men, also arrested at the detention center, added details to La Figura's testimony:
“They're not respecting our human rights. We're human beings, not dogs. We're like rats in an experiment.”
One of the prisoners accused the authorities of having illegally arrested several of the detained immigrants:
"I don't know what their motive is for doing this, if it's a form of torture. Many of us have our residency papers and don't understand why we're here."
One of the detainees reported the use of intense lights to prevent prisoners from sleeping, a technique that, according to Kilmar Abrego García, They also applied against him at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador:
"I'm on the verge of losing my mind. I haven't taken my medication for three days. It's impossible to sleep with this white light on all day."
Finally, the call also reveals that the authorities are violating the prisoners' religious rights:
"They took away my Bible and told me there's no right to religion here. My Bible is the only thing that sustains my faith, and now I'm losing my faith."
Alligator Alcatraz: What's the Situation Like?
Several environmental groups, notably Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity have sued against the construction of this center, demanding that the government pause its development and use. In a press release published yesterday and obtained by More Latin, The groups describe how their demand has been received:
“Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a legal response brief on July 3 in support of their request for a temporary restraining order and injunction to halt activities at the so-called 'Alligator Alcatraz.'”
The groups allege that despite filing a lawsuit against the center's construction late last month, development at "Alligator Alcatraz" has continued:
“While the state continues to downplay the impact of a mass detention center (and claim it is 'temporary'), the evidence shows otherwise: previously untouched areas of the site have been filled in and paved; roads have been added and widened; and the night sky over Big Cypress now shines like Yankee Stadium, visible 15 miles away.”
The groups continue to maintain that the construction and operation of this center represents a significant threat to the Everglades ecosystem—an extremely important area for environmental regulation in much of Florida.
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