**Controversy Erupts Over Alleged Abuse at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz Detention Centre**
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Recent allegations have surfaced regarding the treatment of detainees at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz, a remote immigration detention facility constructed on a former airstrip in the Everglades. An attorney representing several detainees has reported serious claims of abuse, including physical assaults by guards and the use of pepper spray, following an incident where access to communication devices was restricted.
Katherine Blankenship, the founder and managing attorney of the immigration rights firm Sanctuary of the South, filed a court motion highlighting accounts from her clients about violent encounters with the facility’s guards. Her filing suggests that detainees were subjected to severe beatings, resulting in broken bones, once the facility’s phones were reportedly disabled on April 2.
The allegations are particularly grave, with Blankenship detailing incidents in which guards retaliated against detainees who voiced concerns about the loss of communication. According to her clients, one incident escalated when an inmate approached the guards, leading to a violent confrontation in which Raiko Lopez Morffi, one of the named clients, was severely attacked. Blankenship recounted that Morffi was punched and thrown to the ground, where he suffered further assaults from multiple officers.
In her documentation, Blankenship described Morffi as having sustained injuries to his eye, shoulder and arm, as well as receiving kicks to the head during the altercation. She provided photographic evidence of his injuries, captured during a video conference on April 10.
The filing further alleged systemic issues within the facility, pointing out that guards reportedly do not wear identification badges, complicating accountability. More disturbing claims involved the use of pepper spray on detainees, which Blankenship described as a tactic employed to control and punish individuals in confined spaces. One older detainee reportedly fainted due to the effects of the spray, adding a concerning dimension to the already alarming allegations.
Both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agencies implicated in the broader immigration enforcement activities, refused to comment on the allegations citing ongoing litigation. A request for comment from the Florida Division of Emergency Management has not yet been addressed.
The Alligator Alcatraz facility has drawn criticism since its inception under the administration of former Governor Ron DeSantis and was highlighted by President Donald Trump during a visit. Critics, including legal representatives, detainees, elected officials, and human rights scholars, have deemed the facility akin to a “concentration camp,” indicative of a troubling pattern of human rights abuses associated with U.S. immigration enforcement.
In a statement reflecting on his visit to the detention centre, Trump remarked, “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really, deportation,” emphasizing the isolated and inhospitable nature of the location. This characterization has been echoed by advocates and detainees who argue that conditions at Alligator Alcatraz reflect broader systemic failures within the immigration detention system.
Blankenship’s court filing also pointed out that telephone access is the sole means by which detainees can communicate with family members and secure legal representation. Following the disruption of phone services, detainees reportedly received no explanation for the lack of access. One of Blankenship’s clients, Lazaro Hernandez Galban, claimed that inmates routinely face deprivation of personal mail and often miss critical immigration court hearings due to inadequate communication facilities.
The court has previously ordered that detainees must have access to timely, free, confidential, and unmonitored legal calls, mandating at least one functional telephone for every 25 detainees. These recent allegations serve as a reminder of the urgent need to address the conditions within immigration detention facilities across the United States.
As the situation unfolds, the voices of those affected by such allegations will remain crucial in shedding light on potential abuses and ensuring accountability in the handling of detainees within an increasingly scrutinised immigration system.