Lawsuit against officials alleges detainees held at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ are being denied right to legal counsel, due process
At least seven hundred people are now held at the migrant detention facility dubbed Alligator Alcatraz and a new lawsuit alleges detainees are being denied their rights to legal counsel and due process The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit on Wednesday against the Trump Administration where they say attorneys are being turned away when they arrive at the gates of the detention center We ve seen several attorneys try to meet with their clients at the detention facility drive up to the facility only to be met at a military checkpoint met with armed military guards noted ACLU attorney Eunice Cho They have noted selected of the attorneys have been made to wait for hours only to be stated they re not allowed to enter the facility The lawsuit says in part This class action lawsuit challenges the cabinet s attempts to prevent people detained in civil immigration custody at Alligator Alcatraz from communicating with legal counsel and from filing motions with the immigration court that could outcome in their release from detention It also mentioned Defendants in this circumstance have blocked detainees held at the facility from access to legal counsel No protocols exist at this facility for providing standard means of confidential attorney-client communication such as in-person attorney visitation and phone or video calls that are available at any other detention facility jail or prison Those named in the lawsuit include Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement They re being required to turn over documents to the facility for review that they re applying to discuss with their clients mentioned Cho All of these are fundamental constitutional violations and we need to make sure that if and when you re in governing body custody that you have the right to speak with your attorney An attorney who spoke with News revealed she faced similar obstacles when she visited the site hoping to meet with her client last week I went out there on Thursday morning requesting legal visits with those five individuals stated immigration attorney Katie Blankenship Our one client and our four prospective clients and was denied entry The migrant detention site came under scrutiny over worries about environmental impact and the healing of those being housed inside Sink s attached to the top of them so that you are literally defecating and urinating where you brush your teeth and that s where their drinking water is disclosed U S Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz D-FL- Lawmakers were given a tour last Saturday reporting disturbing conditions hot temperatures unsanitary conditions and mosquitos Other lawmakers on the same tour however refuted those indicates The first thing I will tell you is that the rhetoric does not match the reality from what you guys have been hearing from I would say Democrats especially congressional Democrats commented Florida State Senator Blaise Ingoglia R It s really a very well-run facility Noem denied the charges being made of the conditions detainees are facing Alligator Alcatraz is held to the same standards that all federal facilities are mentioned Noem As the Trump administration s deportation efforts ramp up ICE will now be given access to the personal content of the nation s -million Medicaid enrollees That includes things like home addresses and ethnicities to help them track down immigrants who may be living in the US illegally
