Congressman Maxwell Frost Statement Following Visit to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Congressman Maxwell Frost Statement Following Visit to 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Watch the full press conference here

SOUTH FLORIDA - Today, Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) released the following statement after a state-approved visit to 'Alligator Alcatraz,' amid recent reports that the facility is expected to close.

In a statement, Rep. Frost says:

"Today, I visited 'Alligator Alcatraz' to conduct oversight and seek answers about the future of this facility, the conditions people are currently being held in, and where detainees may be transferred if the facility closes.

"During the visit I noticed it is very apparent operations are winding down. Staff even used terms like "decompressing" and "winding down" and they are currently not accepting any new detainees. I even saw flights taking off to transfer detainees to other detention facilities. But what stuck out to the most to me, is on my past visits the processing center was full of staff and detainees and this time it was completely empty-which clearly shows this facility is no longer operating at the capacity it once did.

"But Governor DeSantis and the Trump Administration have sent conflicting messages about ['Alligator Alcatraz's'] closure because they don't want to admit the truth: this facility should have never opened in the first place and it will forever be a stain on Florida's history.

"While the closure of this facility would be an important step, shutting the doors alone is not enough. We must ensure that people are not simply transferred from one abusive or unsafe situation to another. Most importantly, there must be accountability for the civil and human rights violations, accountability for the environmental destruction inflicted on one of the most sacred ecosystems in the world, and accountability for the misuse of taxpayer dollars to subject our immigrant neighbors to this failed experiment in suffering."

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