Despite the federal government’s efforts to conceal what happens inside the recently — and hastily — built immigration detention center officially named “Alligator Alcatraz,” the facility garnered national attention.
Many frustratingly disregard the danger of such a facility, but I struggle to understand how America’s horrific treatment toward refugees could be so carelessly overlooked.
Since the beginning of his second term, President Donald Trump insisted only the “worst of the worst” would end up in Alligator Alcatraz. This has not been the case.
Anonymous government officials have reported many detainees in the facility don’t have criminal convictions, with 60% of detainees having criminal convictions or pending charges, according to the New York Times.
There’s no denying Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a history of detaining immigrants without criminal records. Nearly half of the deportations over the last five years had no criminal charges or convictions, according to an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations report.
Regardless of how you feel about deportation, the notoriously poor conditions of Alligator Alcatraz should raise serious concerns about the facility’s morality.
Alligator Alcatraz was built in one of the most crucial yet dangerous ecosystems in the country. Not only are detainees not safe from wildlife, but the facility’s presence in the Everglades has serious environmental implications.
The Department of Homeland Security fueled inhumane advertisements for the facility by threatening detainees with native wildlife like alligators and pythons. The agency posted an AI-generated image of alligators in ICE ballcaps to X with the caption, “Coming soon!” in late June.
The few released images of the facility’s interior feature numerous rows of thin bunk beds and a handful of toilets enclosed by chain-link fences. The gut-wrenching images of its grim conditions are coupled with reports of flooding during Florida’s frequent thunderstorms.
Aside from the bleak infrastructure, the treatment of detainees is severely inadequate, as food, water, medications and sleep are scarce, according to the Miami Herald.
These are people with families; people with lives. Many detainees have been deported simply because they sought refuge in the U.S., hoping for a better life.
If you can confidently say you would never do the same for yourself and your loved ones, I would say you’re lying.
I believe those detained due to their immigration status did the same thing Alligator Alcatraz’s most ardent supporters would have done.
Politicians and government officials can try to justify their actions, but if you believe the inhumane conditions toward these undeserving people are justified, you’ve been deceived.
What's even more distressing is the majority of people who support President Trump and his terrorizing schemes claim to be Christians.
As a Christian myself, I believe every one of us has received things we’ve neither earned nor deserved. Society treats detainees as a burden, and it’s justified the horrific nature of a place like Alligator Alcatraz.
The country despises those who are different, less fortunate and broken, ignoring the issues that led them here. Addressing these injustices is the best way we can live out God’s nature on Earth.
The conditions at Alligator Alcatraz starkly violate human dignity. Responding to these issues with grace and compassion isn’t just a Christian value; it’s a fundamental one.
If the Trump administration has its way, this horrific reality won’t just occur in Florida. Facilities like Alligator Alcatraz will emerge across the country.
We must speak up against this blatant violation of human dignity before it’s too late.
Kendall O’Connor is a UF English junior.
