Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Tuesday that 14 Mexican citizens were in the custody of the U.S. “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility and that her government was working to have them repatriated.
Efforts Underway for Immediate Repatriation
“All arrangements are being made to ensure they are repatriated immediately to Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in her daily news conference.
The center is located about 37 miles south of Miami in a huge subtropical wetland filled with alligators, crocodiles and pythons, dire imagery the White House has used to demonstrate its commitment to rid migrants it claims were inappropriately permitted to remain in the United States during the Biden administration.
Thousands Deported Since Trump Took Office
Since President Donald Trump began his presidency on Jan. 20, 73,533 individuals have been sent back to Mexico, with the majority returned by air, including 67,008 Mexican citizens, Sheinbaum said in another daily press conference this month.
Mexican father Martin Gonzalez explained to local radio station W that his sons, Carlos and Alejandro, were now held in the detention center.
24-Hour Lights and No Sunlight: Detainee Conditions Described
“It’s really bad. The facility is completely closed, not even sunlight gets in. The lights are on 24-7, so they don’t even know if it’s day or night,” Gonzalez said.
He explained that his two sons were taken to the center after Carlos, who is 26, was pulled over by a state trooper while driving. He was in the U.S. as a tourist and had a legal visa, his father explained.
Both Brothers Taken After Routine Traffic Stop
The trooper requested the registration of the car, which was not present. When his brother Alejandro came to present the document, he was also detained and both were taken to the center, their father explained.
“Obviously my sons are desperate to get out of this situation,” he said.
Legal Uncertainty and Lack of Case Progress
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the brothers’ case.
Mexico’s consul in Orlando, Juan Sabines, stated in a video posted Monday with the men’s father that the two were in “legal limbo,” because a lawyer assigned to their case had no access to their file, nor had there been a judge assigned to the case.
