A South Florida man who spent months in federal immigration custody is speaking publicly for the first time after his release from a controversial detention facility widely known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
45-year-old Maikel Rojas was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in October 2025 after showing up for a routine, court-mandated annual check-in at the Miramar immigration office. Instead of returning home, he was taken into custody and later transferred to the remote detention site.
For nearly five months, Rojas remained detained — until a phone call in March changed everything.
“My husband called me, and he said he’s going to Krome for release,” said his wife, Roxana Torres.
Torres says she had been protesting outside the facility with other families of detainees when she received the call. She immediately rushed to the Krome Detention Center, where the couple was reunited after months apart.
Now back home, Rojas describes what he calls inhumane conditions inside the facility.
He claims detainees were not allowed visits from loved ones and had limited or no access to legal representation. He also described unsanitary and overcrowded living conditions.
“We have no privacy… there are cameras over the toilets,” Rojas said in Spanish. “Thirty-two people share three toilets, so you can imagine the smell.”
Rojas also complained about the food, alleging that meals often arrived spoiled after sitting for hours in the heat. He says he lost 45 pounds during his four-and-a-half months at the facility.
His wife says his release was due to habeas corpus
His wife credits his release to a legal filing known as a habeas corpus petition — a constitutional safeguard that allows detainees to challenge the legality of their detention in court.
“Habeas corpus is a fundamental legal action… forcing authorities to justify a person’s confinement before a judge,” according to the United States Courts.
Torres says she learned about the option from another detainee’s wife.
“One of the wives told me, ‘Do you want to do habeas corpus for your husband?'” she said. “It’s free.”
Rojas arrived in the United States from Cuba in 2004. The following year, he was arrested and later convicted as an accessory to murder. He served 13 years in prison and, after his release, was required to report annually to immigration authorities.
That requirement ultimately led to his detention last October.
Although he is now home, Rojas’ legal situation remains unresolved. He is currently required to wear an ankle monitor and has an upcoming hearing that could determine whether it will be removed.
“I feel happy because he’s finally released,” Torres said. “But the second part… I don’t know what’s going to happen with him.”
Rojas is also scheduled to report again to the Miramar detention facility next week.
CBS News Miami reached out to ICE for comment. The agency acknowledged the inquiry but said it needs more time to respond.
