Every Sunday, protesters from Florida and beyond gather outside the notorious ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration jail in the Everglades, demanding its closure. The weekly ritual began in August, shortly after the remote detention camp opened, celebrated by Donald Trump and hailed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a model for aggressive detention and deportation.
The open-air vigils have persisted through brutal summer heat, torrential rains, and legal battles. In August, a federal judge ordered the facility to close, but an appeals court later reversed that decision. Protesters have grown increasingly vocal about alleged human rights abuses and violence against detainees inside the jail.
Among those attending is Arianne Betancourt, whose Cuban-born father Justo, 54, was detained in October and transferred to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’. She says he has been denied insulin injections for his diabetes and has been told he can get them in Mexico. Betancourt has found support among other families facing similar ordeals, sharing resources and fighting what she describes as a lack of due process.
Pastor Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church in St Petersburg organised a bus to attend the vigils. He sees parallels with religious stories of liberation and notes the diverse crowd of people from different faiths. ‘Jesus was born as a refugee,’ Oliver said, adding that he believes Jesus would call for these prisons to be emptied.
The protests are expected to draw thousands more over the holiday season, as families continue to speak out against the conditions and treatment of detainees held at the facility.
