Florida’s attorney general won’t let Miami-Dade monitor the new immigrant detention center in the Everglades.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Tuesday urged Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to let the county, which owns the land where the detention center is located, have remote video access, schedule visits, and receive weekly site reports.
But Jeremy Redfern, Uthmeier’s communications director, responded to the letter on X Tuesday night, denying the requests.
The denial came as immigrants decried conditions at the 3,000-capacity tent and trailer detention center in the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. Multiple detainees told the Miami Herald and CBS News that they had gone days without showering, the toilets didn’t flush, and temperatures fluctuated between extremes. Redfern called the reporting “fake news” on X.
However, the Florida Division of Emergency Management is in charge of the detention center, and Stephanie Hartman, its deputy director of communications, wrote to Florida Phoenix on Wednesday that it hadn’t denied Miami-Dade’s requests and that the mayor’s letter was under review.
Uthmeier publicly announced the detention center three weeks ago and has taken credit for its official state name of “Alligator Alcatraz,” which has garnered criticism from immigrant and environmental activists and indigenous leaders. He also announced the arrival of detainees on July 2.
Levine Cava has called upon the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to provide a detailed report on the five people who have died in the state while under the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The mayor urged DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to meet with local officials about the conditions at the federal detention centers in the state.
A DHS spokesperson wrote to the Phoenix on Wednesday that the department responds to inquiries such as the mayor’s through official channels.
“This is the best healthcare that many aliens have received in their entire lives,” the e-mail to the Phoenix states. “Meals are certified by dieticians. Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority at ICE.”
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