Detainees Report Alleged Assaults at Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" Over Phone Access

Guards at a Florida immigration detention center, infamously dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” reportedly assaulted detainees earlier this month, as detailed by attorney Katherine Blankenship, who represents two of the individuals involved.

According to a court declaration, the alleged violence erupted on April 2 after detainees expressed frustration over non-functional phones, which are crucial for maintaining contact with family and legal representatives. Blankenship noted that the phones had been inoperative, prompting the complaints.

Blankenship recounted that guards began to provoke those confined in a cell, escalating from taunts to aggressive threats of entering the enclosure. Tensions flared when one detainee approached a guard, resulting in a punch to the face.

The situation deteriorated rapidly as guards began to physically assault other detainees within the cell. One of Blankenship's clients suffered severe injuries, including a punch to the right eye, being thrown to the ground, and multiple blows from several guards. The attorney's declaration described a guard pressing his knee into the detainee's neck during the restraint process, with a subsequent photo taken during a video call revealing visible bruising nearly a week later.

“The officers beat several people during this incident and broke another detained individual’s wrist,” Blankenship stated, clarifying that the detainee with the broken wrist is not among her clients.

Remarkably, phone service was restored the following day without any explanation for its prior disruption.

Questions sent to the Florida Department of Emergency Management regarding the incident went unanswered as of Wednesday.

Blankenship's declaration forms part of a court filing that accuses both state and federal officials of disregarding a federal judge's preliminary injunction issued last month. This injunction mandated that detention center officials ensure timely access to free, confidential, unmonitored, and unrecorded outgoing legal calls. U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell also stipulated that at least one operational telephone must be available for every 25 detainees.

This judicial order was a response to a lawsuit alleging violations of detainees' First Amendment rights.

State officials have refuted claims of restricting detainees' access to legal counsel, attributing any issues to security and staffing constraints. Federal officials involved in the case have similarly denied any infringement on First Amendment rights.

The Everglades facility was constructed last summer at a remote airstrip under the administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, aimed at bolstering President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Additionally, Florida has established another immigration detention center in northern Florida.

During a recent visit to the detention center, U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, reported being denied an opportunity to speak with detainees. She characterized the conditions within the facility as “inhumane.”

“The way the detainees are housed is cruel and unnecessary,” she remarked.