Dear Friend,
Last week, four of my fellow state lawmakers and I traveled deep into the Everglades to visit Florida’s newest immigrant detention camp, a remote, mosquito-infested facility now being called by the State of Florida “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Despite our statutory authority and duty to conduct oversight visits of state detention centers, we were denied access.
We’ve already heard firsthand from family members of detainees: no running water, unsanitary bathrooms, people bound for hours during transport, forced vaccinations, and no access to legal counsel or loved ones. Yet when we arrived to investigate, we were told it was “too unsafe” for us to enter.
Let me be clear: if it’s too unsafe for elected officials to tour, how can it possibly be safe for people to work there or be detained?
There are already reports that individuals with minor offenses, like traffic violations, are being sent here. There’s concern that children and pregnant women may be held here too, despite the Governor’s rhetoric about locking up the “worst of the worst.” This is not justice. This is cruelty by design.
We don’t even know who is paying for this facility — the state or the feds — but we do know that it’s expected to cost the public more than $450 million. And the contracts? Awarded in the dark, with no transparency, to DeSantis-connected donors.
The humanitarian crisis is urgent. The environmental impact is real. And the grift is appalling.
Imagine if even a fraction of this money and energy went into solving the real challenges our communities face? From housing insecurity and rising insurance premiums to access to healthcare, public education, and clean water. Leaders in charge of the state could fix these issues, but instead are using our taxpayer dollars for dangerous political stunts that are separating families and hurting our environment.
We are demanding answers, filing records requests, and sounding the alarm. But we need your voice, too.
We’ll share updates as we have them.
Onward,
