The Democrats took their battle against President Donald Trump’s immigration policies to Florida on Saturday, as they toured Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Alligator Alcatraz, the new detainment facility for illegal immigrants. Upon leaving the facility, numerous Democrat representatives shared ugly testimonials about what they witnessed inside and demanded Alligator Alcatraz be shut down.
Alligator Alcatraz was raised in just eight days, an example of Florida’s tough attitude on crime and its leadership in fighting immigration.
Intended as a step on illegal immigrants’ journey “back to their country of origin,” Alligator Alcatraz was placed in the middle of the Everglades and named after the infamous maximum-security prison, according to Florida Sen. Jay Collins and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
DeSantis explained that Alligator Alcatraz is intended to aid the ICE agents, Florida police departments, and existing jails that are just “not enough” when facing the immigration crisis. “There needs to be more ability to intake, process and then deport,” he said, calling the facility a “one-stop shop.”
Until Saturday, elected officials were barred from entering and inspecting Alligator Alcatraz. Upon their emergence from guided tours, visiting lawmakers brought conflicting testimonials to waiting reporters. The difference of opinion was mostly across party lines.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz described the facility as “disturbing” and “vile,” saying that “this place needs to be shut the hell down.”
Other Democrat visitors described the environment being filthy and hot, with bugs and waste making a mess out of some of the rooms. From the food portions to the quality of the floors, everything was criticized by the Democrats who came out of their tour.
Many of the lawmakers believe that their experience was staged and polished so that they would have a better opinion of the facility, but noted that some of the detainees cried out for help as they visited.
“What we saw on our inspection today was a political stunt,” criticized Rep. Darren Soto, “dangerous and wasteful.”
Democrats’ criticism is largely rooted in their opposition to ICE and the deportations America has seen under Trump’s second term.
“If you only see what was shown [in the tour] and don’t have a problem already with rounding up immigrants — even if some of them have not committed crimes — then you would be OK with what you saw,” said Democratic state House leader Fentrice Driskell.
These politicians refuse to acknowledge that even if illegal immigrants abide by the law after entering the United States, their entry itself is a crime for which Florida has detained them.
The Republicans who emerged from the facility largely disagreed with Driskell’s assessment. Republican lawmakers called out their Democrat counterparts for the bleak picture they painted for the public, claiming that their “rhetoric does not match the reality.”
Reportedly, multiple other states are interested in starting facilities and programs similar to Alligator Alcatraz, indicating that the president’s efforts against illegal immigration will continue to be supported across the country.
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