Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is requesting oversight access to a controversial immigration detention facility in the Everglades known as Alligator Alcatraz, citing concerns over reported deaths and dangerous conditions at federal immigration centers across Florida.
Letters sent to state and federal officials
On Tuesday, Levine Cava sent letters to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem requesting remote video monitoring, weekly site condition reports and scheduled access to the state-run facility.
Alligator Alcatraz, located on Miami-Dade County-owned property at the Training and Transition Airport (TNT), is in a remote area of the Everglades.
In the letters, the mayor pointed to what she described as poor access to hospitals, legal counsel, and oversight, particularly at detention facilities such as Krome and the “TNT” site.
Citing deaths and medical neglect
Levine Cava said that five people have died in ICE custody in Florida so far this year, including three at the Krome Detention Center.
She cited reports of medical neglect, delayed care and a rise in emergency 911 calls from immigration facilities in Miami-Dade.
“Our community will be informed through this process to ensure that these sensitive operations remain both humane and secure,” Levine Cava wrote in one of the letters.
She also raised concerns about the possible detention of pregnant women and children at the “TNT facility” and urged Homeland Security to release detailed reports on in-custody deaths and convene a meeting with local officials and medical experts.
