Related videos:
The case of Cuban Eddie Gattorno, detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after more than five decades living in the United States, has taken an even more alarming turn following a new public accusation from his daughter, who claims that her father is being held in "inhumane" conditions at a detention center in Alabama.
Just two weeks ago, Gattorno was dancing with his daughter Danielle at her wedding. Today, according to the young woman's updated testimony, he is confined in a "completely empty" cell, with no access to clean clothing, basic necessities, or regular communication with his family.
“He is in a cell without books, without paper, without anything. He has been wearing the same clothes he was detained in for three days,” reported Danielle Anguiano in a recent post on Facebook, where she has continued to document the case. According to her account, her father even had to wash his underwear by hand inside the facility.
Gattorno was detained during a routine appointment with immigration authorities in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which he attended voluntarily. His daughter insists that he has never lived illegally in the United States during the 54 years he has been in the country.
He is currently incarcerated in the Etowah County Jail in Gadsden, Alabama, a facility that, according to the family’s complaints, houses both inmates and ICE detainees, albeit under very different conditions. "Inmates are treated better than detainees," Danielle asserted, visibly upset.
The restrictions are severe. He is only allowed to leave the cell for an hour and a half each day, during which time he must shower, make calls, and take care of any other basic needs. Communication with his family has been minimal: just two calls of two minutes each over three days.
Furthermore, visits are not allowed, and according to the family, the authorities have not provided clear information about their situation or the next steps in their case.
The anguish grew when Danielle revealed that her father already has documents indicating a possible deportation to Mexico, although the family is still trying to overturn the decision. “Our priority right now is to get him out of there, even if that means he ends up in Mexico. At least he would be free,” she wrote.
The testimony also casts doubt on the official accounts of the detention center. While officials claimed over the phone that detainees receive uniforms and stay there only a few days before being transferred, the family asserts they have heard of cases of people being held for months under those same conditions.
The case of Gattorno, far from being isolated, fits into a broader context of tightening immigration policies in the United States. As has already been documented, thousands of migrants—including Cubans with decades of residency—remain vulnerable to detention and possible deportation, even in the absence of recent criminal offenses.
This is compounded by the increasing reports of abuse and precarious conditions within immigration detention centers, a system that is being increasingly criticized by human rights organizations.
For Danielle, however, the crisis has a concrete face: that of her father. "It’s one thing to hear these stories, and a completely different thing for someone you love to experience them firsthand," she wrote.
Filed under: