(AFP) – The Guatemalan government on Friday said it has arranged for its officials to visit a notorious US migrant detention center to check on 14 detainees from Guatemala housed there. The facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” due to its location in the swamps of the Everglades in southern Florida, has come under fire by both environmentalists and critics of US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on migration, who consider the facility to be inhumane.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement it had requested permission from US officials to visit the detained Guatemalans “to identify, interview and learn about their situations and conditions.” The statement said Guatemalan officials are set to visit on August 7. “Until this moment, we have confirmed the nationalities of 14 Guatemalans held there — all men of legal age,” the statement added.
Trump visited the facility in July, boasting about the harsh conditions and joking that the reptilian predators will serve as guards. “A lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators — you don’t have to pay them so much,” Trump said.
Earlier this week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said 30 Mexican nationals were being held at “Alligator Alcatraz” as well. The current facility consists of bunk beds inside cages made of metal fencing, and can house 1,000 people currently.
New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report last month detailing abuse and degrading treatment suffered by migrants housed at multiple detention centers in Florida.
© 2024 AFP
