Protesters, Lawmakers Clash Over Conditions at Florida Immigration Center Dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Dozens of family members and immigrant rights advocates gathered early Tuesday outside a controversial immigration detention center deep in the Everglades, demanding its closure amid mounting claims of mistreatment and neglect.

The facility, officially a deportation processing center but commonly referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” due to its isolated location and heavy security, has come under fire from South Florida families and advocacy groups who allege inhumane conditions inside. The protest included emotional testimony from relatives of detainees, including a mother who likened the treatment of her son to that seen in concentration camps. She claimed her son had been denied proper medical care and life-sustaining medication for a serious infection.

“He’s in there suffering, and they won’t even give him what he needs to survive,” she said through tears, standing beside others holding signs calling for accountability.

But Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pushed back forcefully, dismissing the accusations during a separate press conference in Fort Lauderdale the same day.

“They’re upset the ham sandwiches weren’t toasted?” he said with visible disbelief. “I mean, come on. These are wild exaggerations meant to stir up drama.”

DeSantis defended the facility, calling it a secure and necessary component of immigration enforcement. He added that oversight responsibility ultimately lies with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and expressed confidence that federal standards were being met.

“There’s recreation time, there’s food, there’s medical access,” the governor said. “This isn’t a prison. It’s a processing center. Let’s not pretend it’s something it’s not.”

The governor also accused some lawmakers and left-wing groups of seeking publicity rather than truth, claiming they were deliberately misrepresenting conditions for political purposes.

“It’s strange how certain representatives show up, cameras in tow, trying to make a scene,” he said. “They’re clearly looking for headlines.”

Florida’s top emergency management official, Kevin Guthrie, echoed DeSantis’s sentiment during an appearance on national television, where he described recent visits by lawmakers as political theater.

Speaking to Fox News, Guthrie said that while over 60 lawmakers took part in a recent bipartisan tour of the facility, not all were there in good faith.

“One individual used an infrared thermometer and pointed it at a light bulb,” Guthrie recalled with a laugh. “It read 110 degrees, and I had to tell them, ‘Maybe measure the air, not the light source.’ That tells you everything.”

He also addressed complaints raised during the tour regarding the facility’s toilet setup and food quality, saying both meet or exceed standard correctional benchmarks.

“These are the same toilet-sink combinations you see in secured facilities across the country,” Guthrie explained. “People brush their teeth there, they wash up, they use the restroom. That’s how it works in secure environments.”

Perhaps the most widely mocked moment came when a lawmaker criticized a turkey sandwich without even unwrapping it.

“Representative Wasserman Schultz said the sandwich was gray,” Guthrie said. “But she was six feet away and never opened the packaging. I don’t know how she could judge that. Let’s face it—school lunches, hospital food—it’s all institutional food. Nobody’s eating steak.”

Despite the governor’s assurances, criticism continues to mount. Earlier this month, five Democratic state legislators filed a lawsuit against DeSantis, accusing him of violating their rights by denying them access to the facility. The suit alleges the administration unlawfully obstructed their oversight duties by barring them from conducting an inspection.

“Legislative oversight is not optional,” one of the lawmakers said in a public statement. “What are they hiding?”

The detention center, which houses individuals awaiting deportation or immigration court proceedings, has been operating under increased scrutiny as both federal and state policies around immigration enforcement intensify. Human rights groups argue that remote locations like this one make it harder for families, attorneys, and medical professionals to regularly access detainees, leaving vulnerable populations at risk.

Meanwhile, DeSantis said he plans to visit the facility himself in the coming weeks to review conditions firsthand.

“I’ll see it for myself,” he said. “But everything I’ve heard so far suggests that what’s being said by these activist groups just doesn’t match reality.”

As the debate intensifies, protesters say they won’t back down until real change is made.

“Our loved ones are inside,” one advocate said. “We’ll be out here every day if we have to be.