A South Florida man being held at the immigration detention site known as “Alligator Alcatraz” told CBS News Miami he wants to be deported, as international human rights advocates raise concerns over conditions inside the facility deep in the Florida Everglades.
Alexis Rodriguez, 59, a Cuban national, was detained last month after reporting for what his family says was a routine appointment at the Miramar immigration office — something he’s done for 25 years.
His wife, Magda Berge, said Rodriguez appeared at the center on Nov. 5, when officers informed him he would not be returning home.
“In Miramar they told him, ‘you’re going to be detained because we’re going to execute your deportation order,'” Berge said.
Federal records show Rodriguez was convicted in the late 1990s on cocaine trafficking and smuggling charges. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lists his case – including a two-year federal sentence – on a recently launched public website.
“I know he made a mistake, and he made it more than 25 years ago. He paid for that mistake,” Berge said.
While CBS News Miami interviewed her, Rodriguez called from detention. Speaking in Spanish, he pleaded for one thing:
“The only thing I am asking for is to allow me to leave this country,” he said.
Rodriguez said he has been held at the facility for more than a month. He described food that arrives cold, in small portions, and says detainees are allowed to shower once every three days.
He says he stopped taking medication because of conditions
“The food is terrible – very little, and they give it to you cold,” he said, adding that 32 detainees share three bathrooms located beside their living area.
He also claims he has stopped eating and taking medication despite being diabetic, saying he cannot tolerate the conditions.
A 61-page report released last week by Amnesty International includes accounts from four immigrants held at the Krome Detention Center who said they spent time at the Everglades facility. The report alleges:
People detained in “Alligator Alcatraz” are being held in inhumane conditions, including overflowing toilets leaking fecal matter, restricted shower access, insect exposure, constant overnight lighting, poor food quality, limited clean water, and lack of privacy.
CBS News Miami contacted the Florida Division of Emergency Management – the state agency overseeing the facility. A spokesperson pushed back strongly against Amnesty International’s claims.
“This ‘report’ is nothing more than a politically motivated attack. None of these fabrications are true,” said Molly Best, Press Secretary of the Executive Office of the Governor, in a statement.
Berge says her husband’s health is deteriorating, and she hopes speaking publicly will bring attention to the conditions.
“Obviously we want people to hear what we’re experiencing, because it’s really bad,” she said.
ICE states that only foreign governments – not detainees – decide whether they will accept a person facing removal.
