Guards at Florida’s notorious 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention facility are reportedly wearing patches featuring the Grim Reaper and the words 'You can’t hide,' according to a former detainee and a former guard.
The patch, which depicts a skeleton in black holding a hatchet with a crocodile underneath, was designed by a former guard and distributed to other staff members. Former detainee Lewis Ortigoza described it as 'something demonic' and said he felt haunted but was too afraid to speak out.
The patch came to light when a discharged guard from Critical Response Strategies, the government contractor staffing the facility, handed it to a protester. A company spokesperson identified the guard as Steven Martinez and stated the patch is not part of the authorised uniform. Martinez and another staffer were demobilised after an altercation.
The detention centre, built hastily last summer in the Big Cypress National Preserve, has faced numerous complaints, including housing people without criminal records, punishing detainees seeking legal help, and poor sanitary conditions. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe have sued over environmental violations.
A federal court ordered the facility shut down in August, but the order was overturned on appeal. Florida has spent about $403 million on the facility, designed for up to 3,000 people, but has only received $90 million in federal reimbursement.
