Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is requesting oversight access to "Alligator Alcatraz," the recently-inaugurated migrant detention center located in the Everglades, following allegations of mistreatment there.
Concretely, Levine Cava sent letters to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting remote video monitoring, weekly site condition reports and scheduled access to the facility, according to CBS News.
The mayor sustained her request based on what she described as poor access to hospitals, legal counsel and oversight at different facilities across the state. "Our community will be informed through this process to ensure that these sensitive operations remain both humane and secure," reads a passage of one of the letters.
Accounts from detainees being held at the center describe harsh conditions, including lack of access to confidential legal communication, insufficient hygiene resources, and scorching temperatures.
The Miami Herald noted that detainees inside the site located on a remote airstrip in Big Cypress National Preserve have been unable to make private phone calls to attorneys despite legal requirements for confidential legal access.
One woman told the outlet that her husband has had no secure way to contact his immigration lawyer, while attorney Katie Blankenship said she was unable to locate a client transferred there.
Others 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.
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