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Handbook details strict Alligator Alcatraz rules
A handbook for detainees has been revealed as part of a state response to a lawsuit over Alligator Alcatraz. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
OCHOPEE, Fla. - We're getting a glimpse of life at Alligator Alcatraz, the controversial migrant detention center in the Everglades.
A detainee handbook issued upon admittance sets the expectations about how detainees and guards should co-exist at the facility.
"They are meeting or exceeding every state or federal standard, whichever is higher," the governor said of detainee treatment in July.
The handbook says, "While here, you have certain rights and responsibilities. You are required to maintain a high level of cleanliness, and assist in general cleaning of your unit."
It also calls for guards to behave with dignity towards the detainees.
"Officers will maintain a positive demeanor with detainees," the handbook says. "They will communicate with detainees to ensure mutual respect."
Democratic state representatives, who have been critical of the facility since it opened in early July, are not comforted by the handbook's existence.
What they're saying:
"This manual is basically copy and paste of manuals that ICE uses for other detention facilities like Krome that have horrifying outcomes," said State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando), who was part of a contingent of lawmakers who demanded access to the site shortly after it opened.
Only guided tours were permitted.
The 36-page rulebook insists that detainees have freedom of religion, the right to basic needs like nutritious meals, toiletries, exercise and health care.
Since it opened in July with a presidential visit, Alligator Alcatraz has been the subject of lawsuits over its environmental impact and the critique of immigration attorneys who say detainees are reporting unsanitary conditions.
It's still not clear as to how many are being held there, though the rulebook calls for numbers to be issued to each detainee, and for color-coded uniforms to illustrate a detainee's criminal history.
"There's no transparency, so we don't know if they're being followed or not," said Miami immigration attorney Hector Diaz.
Diaz says he has represented ten Alligator Alcatraz detainees, and that they have reported — despite the handbook's insistence that medical supplies have not been sufficient.
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The site has remained open despite a recent ruling that it must be phased out because the state didn't do an environmental impact study.
The state has argued that because sewage is being trucked out, and food is being trucked in, the impacts are minimal.
Meal times are listed at 5:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Barbers are said to be available five days-per-week.
There are also warnings about detainees protecting themselves from sexual assault, and an outline of disciplinary steps that can be taken.
"Let's just hope it's just not all talk and that they followed through because some of the things that are listed in that handbook could really help the persons that are being detained," said Diaz.
The backstory:
The handbook came to light as part of a lawsuit that is winding its way through the court system over access to attorneys.
The handbook makes it clear that detainees are required to have easy access to their legal services, though lawyers say it has been nearly impossible to keep track of their clients until and unless their clients are able to call.
The state has said repeatedly that the naysayers are making political stunts and that legal access is always available.
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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evan Axelbank.