Arrested last week in Miami-Dade, Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura was transferred to South Florida’s new immigration detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades.
“I feel terrible not only for me, but for my daughter too,” Katia Hernandez said.
Hernandez is Leamsy Izquierdo’s fiancé and shares a 4-year-old daughter with him.
Izquierdo, who is a U.S. resident, was arrested and charged for aggravated assault with a weapon. He’s accused of having a dispute with a tow company worker.
Harsh conditions for detainees
Hernandez believes he should have due process before being deported. She said he described the conditions at the facility as deplorable.
“They don’t have a toothbrush and toothpaste,” Hernandez said on Wednesday. “Since they arrived at the facility that has been the case.”
While speaking to CBS News Miami, her fiancé called.
“My name is Leamsy Izquierdo Molina. I want to report that since Friday (the day he arrived) we have not been allowed to take a shower, the food is not in the best condition, either,” he said.
Izquierdo said they are not being watched by immigration agents, but instead by workers dressed in grey who tell them they are guests, not inmates.
“It’s really hard and sad that our loved ones are locked up in that place and we don’t even know if we’ll be able to see them again,” Hernandez said.
Florida officials respond to deplorable conditions complaints
State officials have denied the allegations made by detainees at the facility.
“The reporting of conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,” Stephanie Hartman, a deputy director of communications at the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said in a statement.
On Tuesday, The Florida Immigrant Coalition placed billboards next to busy highways urging Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and county officials to stop the Everglades (Alligator Alcatraz) Detention Center.
