Two Italian nationals detained at “Alligator Alcatraz” are denouncing the conditions at the new immigration detention facility in Florida, prompting Italian lawmakers to speak on their behalf.
Italy’s opposition parties are calling out the Trump administration’s treatment of the two men, identified as Gaetano Mirabella Costa and Fernando Artese, and pressing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to act.
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“Is all this, for Giorgia Meloni, normal and acceptable? What does she intend to do to get the two Italians out of that hell? If they are not entitled to stay in the USA, proceed with repatriation, but subjecting them to these brutal conditions is unacceptable,” Laura Boldrini, a lawmaker in the opposition Democratic Party, posted on social media on Monday.
“Two of our fellow citizens are detained in the Alligator Alcatraz migrant center in inhumane conditions: locked in cages, without access to a lawyer, deprived of dignity, water, and decent food. Is the Meloni government really allowing all this?” Angelo Bonelli, who leads the Green Europe party, wrote.
The Italian politicians raised their concerns after one of the detainees spoke about “Alligator Alcatraz’s” living conditions, which immigration advocates have scrutinized since the facility’s opening earlier this month.
“We’re in cages like chickens, 32 people with three open toilets, everyone can see everything,” Costa told Italian state television while in prison. “I don’t know what I’m accused of, and I can’t speak with a lawyer or even a judge. Can the Italian authorities please help me to get out of this nightmare?”
Meloni, who leads Italy’s conservative government, has become quite friendly with President Donald Trump, especially more so than her European counterparts. It’s unclear whether Meloni knew about the Italians’ detention at “Alligator Alcatraz” in advance.
Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who now leads the Italia Viva party as a senator, accused Meloni of bending the knee to Trump instead of defending the rights of the Italian detainees.
The Department of Homeland Security said the two men stayed in the United States illegally for years and confirmed that both had been arrested for alleged criminal offenses without elaborating, according to the Washington Post. Costa overstayed a B2 tourism visa for nearly seven years, and Artese remained in the U.S. for about a decade after three months of using the visa waiver program.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said. “Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
A DAY WITH FLORIDA STATE TROOPERS NABBING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FOR ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’
“Alligator Alcatraz” opened on July 1, with its first detainees arriving one day later. The site is located in Florida’s Everglades, a region teeming with alligators. The facility’s location acts as a deterrent to detainees who may wish to escape prison, Trump said during the opening ceremony.
Immigration advocates and Democratic lawmakers are denouncing “Alligator Alcatraz” for a variety of reasons, including the lack of access to legal counsel for illegal immigrants held at the detention center. Republican lawmakers who have visited the site are defending “Alligator Alcatraz,” as it is part of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration.