Cuban Detainee in "Alligator Alcatraz" Criticizes Neglect: "Things Just Keep Getting Worse"

"If they're going to deport us, let them deport us. If not, let us go." This is how Aris Reyes, a Cuban detained at the immigration center known as "Alligator Alcatraz," captures the desperate plea of hundreds who have been confined for weeks without clear information or access to justice, all while enduring inhumane conditions. "We want a fair process. We're treated worse than undocumented immigrants," Reyes told Telemundo. He was detained for driving without a valid license, although he had a prior deportation order.

Nestled in the heart of the Everglades, this former airport-turned-detention facility, run by Florida authorities, has become a symbol of frustration for hundreds of migrants seeking resolution for their cases. What was meant to be a temporary holding space has morphed into a nightmare, according to detainees. "We're like dogs in cages here," Reyes lamented.

The Reality Inside "Alligator Alcatraz"

Governor Ron DeSantis recently remarked that detainees are informed they can choose to return to their home country via a government-funded flight. "No one is forced to stay," he stated. However, detainees contradict this claim. "We're not told anything, nothing happens here... things just keep getting worse," Reyes insisted. Families and attorneys criticize the lack of communication from the authorities and the center's staff.

Immigration lawyer John De La Vega pointed out that immigration proceedings can take weeks or even months, especially for those without legal representation or facing bureaucratic hurdles. "Many are trapped in a legal limbo, detained administratively without clarity on their future or effective access to due process," he warned.

Inhumane Conditions and Legal Limbo

This week, the plight of another Cuban detainee, Pedro Lorenzo, came to light. A father of three U.S. citizens, Lorenzo had served a past sentence and reported voluntarily to the ICE office in Miramar for a routine check. Since then, he has been detained without new charges or legal information. "He's not imprisoned for a crime. He was complying as required and got detained without cause," said his wife, Daymaris Lorenzo.

Numerous complaints have surfaced about the conditions: 32 people crammed into cages, sleeping in bunk beds without privacy, exposed to extreme heat without air conditioning, and sharing open showers and toilets with just three sinks per cell. Detainees drink and brush their teeth with water from the same place where they relieve themselves. They hardly get any rest, as lights remain on, and they receive irregular meals, often just sandwiches. Communicating is impossible; they lack access to phones and writing materials. Medical attention is minimal; "if someone feels sick, they take their blood pressure and that's it," reported a migrant's spouse.

A Call for Change

"Alligator Alcatraz" faces harsh criticism from lawmakers, activists, and religious groups. A legislative report labeled it as an "internment camp" with severe human rights violations, including extreme crowding, inadequate food, stifling heat, and poor medical care. A visit by Democratic congress members on July 12 exposed infested mattresses, collapsed bathrooms, temperatures between 83 and 85 degrees, and "insufficient and unhealthy" food portions. They were not allowed to speak with detainees or staff. "This facility should be shut down immediately," declared Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

The Archdiocese of Miami accused the center of violating human dignity and led a protest prayer vigil outside its gates. Meanwhile, over 700 people, mainly from Guatemala, Mexico, and Cuba, remain confined, most facing only administrative immigration charges without serious criminal records.