Hundreds of Detainees Vanish from ICE Database After Leaving 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Disappearance of Detainees from ICE Database

• 🔍 A report by the Miami Herald reveals that hundreds of immigrants detained at the Florida Everglades immigration jail, known as "Alligator Alcatraz," have disappeared from ICE's online database.
• 📊 Approximately two-thirds of the 1,800 immigrants held there in July could not be located as of late August, with families and attorneys unable to find them.

'Alligator Alcatraz' and State-Run Detention

• 🐊 The facility, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," is a state-run facility operating outside traditional immigration detention models, described as an "extrajudicial black site."
• ⚖️ A federal appeals court has allowed the jail to continue operating despite reports of abuse and neglect.
• ⚠️ This state-run model creates jurisdictional issues and hinders legal access for detainees and their legal counsel.

Challenges in Locating Detainees

• ❓ When detainees are transferred from "Alligator Alcatraz," they often do not appear in ICE's public databases, making it difficult for attorneys to track them.
• 🗣️ Attorneys and family members face a runaround when trying to locate individuals, being referred between ICE and the facilities themselves.
• ✈️ In one case, a detainee was deported to Mexico before his family and lawyer could confirm his location or status.

Medical Neglect and Due Process Denied

• 🏥 Detainees have reportedly suffered medical emergencies, including post-surgery complications and kidney issues, with inadequate care and lack of medical record acknowledgment.
• 🚫 The lack of transparency and database presence effectively denies detainees due process, legal recourse, and timely bond hearings.
• 📉 The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which administers the facility, and the hospitals involved have not acknowledged these medical incidents.

Systemic Issues and Lack of Accountability

• 🌐 Advocates describe the situation as "administrative disappearances," where the state attempts to avoid environmental studies and federal legal agreements for detention.
• 🚫 The absence of detainees in public databases facilitates denial of due process, prompt deportations, and lack of accountability for the facility's operations.
• 🏢 Both the Florida governor's office and ICE declined to comment on the disappearances, referring inquiries to each other.