1,000 signatures reached
To: Governor Ron DeSantis
Stop the Everglades Detention Camp!
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has quietly directed private companies to build an immigrant detention center—dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”—in the middle of the Everglades. Immigrants are already being held in what many fear are deeply degrading, inhumane, and potentially life-threatening conditions, and in a remote location that makes it virtually impossible to receive visits from family or legal representation.
The construction companies profiting from this seven-figure contract are tied to prominent GOP donors, raising serious concerns about corruption and unethical profiteering.
The site, which was put together in just eight days, is intended to hold thousands of people and will cost $450 million to operate annually. Experts are sounding the alarm on everything from deadly diseases, hazardous flooding, and human rights abuses.
The Everglades Detention Camp is inhumane, and DeSantis must shut it down immediately. Add your name now. >>
Why is this important?
Everglades National Park is in a High-Velocity Hurricane Zone—meaning buildings should be constructed to withstand winds of 180 miles per hour. But the Everglades Detention Camp is made up of flimsy tents, bunk beds, and chain fences—it’s blatantly unsafe for those being held there. The facility has already flooded once from normal levels of rain.
Beyond endangering human lives, the Everglades Detention Camp also threatens one of the country’s most fragile ecosystems. Journalists have already struggled to report on the facility because of the swarms of mosquitoes, some of which can carry dangerous diseases. And if industrial mosquito repellents are used, the environmental harm toward the Everglades and its nationally protected land could be staggering.
DeSantis and his allies have refused entry to Democratic representatives demanding to exercise their legal duties to conduct oversight because they know how appalling the conditions inside are.
Add your name if you agree that the Everglades Detention Camp must close at least until a full investigation is completed, including:
- A public comment period for nearby communities
- A public report on human rights conditions inside the facility
- A full environmental impact study