The mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, received a strong response this week from James Uthmeier, the Attorney General of Florida, to her persistent request to access the migrant detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.
Uthmeier did not bother to respond himself; instead, he delegated the task to his communications director.
The response was posted directly on the social media platform X by Jeremy Redfern, communications director of the attorney general, who settled the matter with a brief and defiant message:
“1) No.
2) No, no, and no.
Any other questions?”
With this, Redfern formally rejected Levine Cava's three main requests: weekly reports, remote video monitoring, and visits from her team to the facilities of Alligator Alcatraz.
The mayor's request: Access and transparency
Previously, Levine Cava had sent letters to the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Florida Attorney General, and the state's Division of Emergency Management, requesting authorization to access Alligator Alcatraz along with part of her team to supervise security, the conditions of detained migrants and the potential environmental impact of the site.
In her statements, the mayor was clear in expressing her concern:
"Federal immigration measures prioritize fear and law enforcement over compassion and justice. We are witnessing overcrowded detention centers right here in our community, where immigrants, the vast majority of whom have no criminal records, are in unsafe conditions."
A selective visit and criticisms from Congress
While access to the city hall was being denied, the Florida Division of Emergency Management organized a visit for state legislators and members of Congress, scheduled for this coming Saturday.
Entry will be strictly limited to elected officials, without guests or additional staff.
The call has been harshly criticized by democratic voices in Congress. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz warned that it is a maneuver to hide the reality of the center:
“We anticipate that ICE and the Florida Division of Emergency Management will attempt to cover up the inhumane treatment of detainees with a limited and curated visit, along with rehearsed responses.”
Civil organizations have also expressed their skepticism.
Thomas Kennedy, from the Florida Immigrant Coalition, openly questioned the lack of transparency: “If this place is so good, why the lack of transparency? Why all the secrecy?”
Your organization has asked Levine Cava to consider a lawsuit against the state and has launched a public campaign with billboards to generate pressure.
Reports about the conditions at Alligator Alcatraz
Both Univision and NBC6 have been reporting for days about the harsh conditions inside Alligator Alcatraz, including:
-Shortage of drinking water.
-Restricted access to showers.
-Extreme temperatures — from freezing cold to dangerous heat.
Although state authorities denied rumors of deaths at the facility, HCA Florida Kendall hospital confirmed that it received a person transferred from the center, without providing details about their condition.
In response, the deputy communications director of the Emergency Management Division, Stephanie Hartman, defended the management of the center.
"The reports about the conditions in the facilities are completely false. The facilities meet all required standards and are in good working order," he said
Although Levine Cava's administration recently signed an agreement that would allow the county's Corrections Department to transport detainees to federal facilities, a spokesperson for the mayor asserted that no inmate has been sent to Alligator Alcatraz to date.
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