A group of hundreds of Cubans protested this Sunday at the Alligator Alcatraz detention center against the poor conditions of the detention center and demanding their freedom.
The protest and testimony of several inmates I220-B who have signed their deportation and want to leave the U.S., but have been detained for more than 50 days in some cases, were broadcast live through CiberCuba by journalist Tania Costa.
The catalyst for the protest this Sunday, which, according to testimonies gathered by CiberCuba, spread throughout the detention center, was an incident in the dining hall after an "elderly man" stripped in protest of the poor food quality and was beaten by the guards.
In response to the Cubans' protest against this injustice, the guards responded with blows and pepper spray
“It is an abuse against our humanity (...). We are shouting for freedom, showing that we are not dangerous, that we are not violent, that we are united brothers,” said one of the protesters in a phone call to Cibercuba.
This Cuban explained that he served his sentence and for 13 years did not commit any crimes in the U.S., yet they still want to keep him locked up in the detention center for another 180 days.
Another inmate, Abel Ducanses Ceballos, reported that "they're not providing us with hot water, we aren't allowed to shave, and they are treating us poorly."
Some have been detained for 50, 70, and even 90 days, "the food is horrible, they are extremely hungry."
"They are treating us as if we were on the path to death," he lamented
It seems that, following the scale of the protest this Sunday, the private company responsible for managing the facility attempted to negotiate with the inmates to agree on improvements to the confinement conditions.
Hundreds of Cubans remain detained at the facility known as Alligator Alcatraz, in Florida, with no clear information about their immigration status and facing constant threats of deportation.
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