Gladys Carredeguas, lawyer for the Cuban reggaeton artist Abel Díaz Rodríguez known artistically as El Chulo, reported alleged mistreatment against her client at the immigration detention center “Alligator Alcatraz,” where the musician has been in ICE custody since January 22.
In a video posted on his social media, Carredeguas explains that he received multiple calls from detainees at the center, who informed him that the artist was beaten, thrown to the ground, and subsequently transferred to a solitary confinement cell, a space that the inmates refer to as “the hole.”
Reports of assaults and lack of medical attention
According to the lawyer, the incident occurred after several detainees requested urgent medication for an elderly man who had not received his treatment.
These communications also reported a lack of food and deficiencies in medical care for the elderly.
"If you heard that El Chulo was beaten and placed in solitary confinement, that is true," stated Carredeguas, who mentioned that his legal team went to the center to verify the situation.
During the visit, another lawyer from the team, who had already provided information about the case earlier this week, stated that she had seen the reggaeton artist “a little depressed,” experiencing vomiting and dizziness after drinking water.
Carredeguas emphasized that the concern is not limited to the singer but encompasses "the condition in which hundreds of other detainees are in Alligator Alcatraz."
El Chulo denies ties to the Latin Kings
The lawyer also noted that her client reported being harassed to have photographs taken of him and to link him to the Latin Kings gang. ICE arrested the reggaeton artist and associates him with that criminal organization, despite the fact that the artist has repeatedly denied any connection to the gang.
According to Carredeguas, even other detainees identified as members of that gang have stated that El Chulo "has nothing to do" with the group.
The singer stated through his attorney that he is being held due to a deportation order and not for the commission of new crimes. "He has already paid for everything he did in the past," his lawyer conveyed.
During the legal meeting, the artist made a public appeal to his followers, the Latino community, and the families of other detained immigrants to demand a transfer to another facility and the end of what they describe as “inhumane conditions” at Alligator Alcatraz.
The case has sparked outrage on social media and among activists, who are calling for an investigation into the practices at the ICE detention center and for guarantees of humane treatment for immigrants in federal custody.
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