The President Claudia Sheinbaum On Wednesday he requested a detailed report to the consulate of his country in Miami on the conditions under which the 30 Mexicans interned at the Everglades immigration detention center are, popularly known as the “Alcatraz de los Caimanes.”
The president expressed deep concern for the complaints of overcrowding, ill -treatment and violations of human rights in this jail located in the Pantanosa region of the southern United States.
As reported at his morning press conference, Mexicans held in that center of Florida are already provided.
Sheinbaum highlighted the insistent work of Consul Rutilio Escandón, who managed to access the place to dialogue with migrants and verify the conditions, despite the difficulties in entering.
“He was insisting to support any Mexican in circumstances as obvious as those we saw in the disseminated images,” said the president.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jfpijn31rs
Diplomatic note
The concern of the Mexican government transcends simple supervision. Juan Ramón de la Fuente, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, sent a diplomatic note to the US Administration, demanding the immediate repatriation of Mexicans held by the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE).
Sheinbaum stressed that they should not be arrested in that center, and demanded that human rights be respected according to US legislation. “It is necessary for Mexicans to return home with dignity and not under these deplorable conditions,” he emphasized.
The demand was accompanied by a strong political and social signaling. The president highlighted the pain and concern that causes in Mexico the treatment of her countrymen during the migratory raids and asked the officials responsible for adequate attention and real support for migrants.
In case of detecting irregularities or negligence, he said that the Ministry of Anti -Corruption will take action on the matter, investigating and sanctioning those who fail to comply with their duties.
He pointed out that although since the beginning of his government, procedures and attention to migrants have been improved, and rights such as the sending of furniture for those who return, it is still necessary to strengthen the work of consulates in US territory has been recognized.
In addition, he informed that the number of applications for financial cards for well -being has almost doubled, an initiative that receives remittances sent from the United States without the envoys having to pay the usual commission for cash deposits. More than 50 thousand requests support this policy that seeks to benefit Mexican families on both banks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-8ukej2yuk
A hell in the middle of a swamp
However, complaints about the situation in the “Alcatraz de los Caimanes” are alarming and corroborated by experts, activists and family.
The detention center, established in an abandoned aerial remnant in the middle of the Everglades, is surrounded by swamps infested with virus carriers such as Zika, Dengue and the Nile Fever.
The migrants held there face extreme overcrowding, lack of access to adequate medical services, food in poor condition and insufficient hygiene conditions, according to testimonies collected by human rights organizations that demand the immediate closure of the place.
During protests and press conferences in Miami, groups such as Florida Immigration Coalition have denounced that this installation “is not a detention center, but a failed and dangerous public health experiment.”
For their part, specialized doctors warn about the health risk that involves keeping people in unhealthy environments with high temperatures and constant exposure to vector -transmitted diseases.
Civil rights lawyers have raised before federal courts that detainees are denied the right to meet with their legal representatives, they are kept detainees without formal charges, and bail audiences have been canceled, which violates fundamental constitutional norms.
In a recent audience, Eunice Cho, of the American Union of Civil Liberties (ACLU), described the situation as an “emergency” and denounced that migrants are pressured to sign deportation orders without the presence or advisory of lawyers.
For his part, the governor of Florida, Ron Desantis, has defended the operation of the center and explained that from there they have left flights with hundreds of migrants to different parts of the country or direct repatrices, which consolidates the place as a logistics center for deportations.
Desantis emphasizes that this policy strengthens immigration control in the State and has announced plans to expand the ability to detention to 4,000 people, despite national and international criticism.
The “Alcatraz de los Caimanes” also opens an environmental debate to be located in a protected area, which has generated judicial demands of environmental groups and human rights, which require greater transparency and institutional responsibility.
