The Miami-Dade County jail system has reportedly agreed to take migrant detainees to federal facilities, something that can include the recently-inaugurated "Alligator Alcatraz" located in the Everglades.
The Miami Herald reported that officers trained in ICE procedures through the 287 (g) program will carry out the transportation for the federal agency. ICE will decide whether detainees shall be taken, the outlet added, citing a source familiar with the arrangement.
Miami-Dade authorities have not yet taken anyone to the facility, which was seized by state authorities to build the complex, which seeks to hold thousands of migrants.
Those who end up being taken to "Alligator Alcatraz" are set to encounter harsh conditions, according to recounts from migrants already there. Detainees have claimed that they've been denied basic necessities like clean food, medicine, and even water for bathing.
Speaking to CBS News on Tuesday, Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was arrested in Miami-Dade last week and taken to the facility, said he had not taken a bath in four days since arriving last Friday. He went on to say that "they only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots." "They never take off the lights for 24 hours," Leamsy added.
Other detainees told the outlet that their human rights are not being respected, with one saying "we're like rats in an experiment." "I don't know their motive for doing this, if it's a form of torture. A lot of us have our residency documents and we don't understand why we're here," the person added.
A Colombian detainee said he's on the brink of mental collapse. "I've gone three days without taking my medicine." He added that his Bible was taken after being told "there is no right to religion." "And my Bible is the one thing that keeps my faith, and now I'm losing my faith," he said.
Authorities have not responded to CBS News about the allegations. However, Democratic Florida lawmakers who attempted to enter the premises last weeks were prevented from doing so.
"They stopped us pretty immediately," Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, who attempted to visit the facility along with four other Democratic lawmakers, told CNN. Eskamani and her colleagues were drawn to the detention center by reports of flooding following a storm on Tuesday.
Later, a general counsel from the Florida Division of Emergency Management told them "security concerns" were the reason for the refusal to allow them into the premises. "If it's unsafe for us, how is it safe for the detainees?" Eskamani reportedly asked the general counsel.
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