Tag Archives: immigrants

Newsweek: ICE detains dad who entered US with green card 50 years ago—Family

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Ahusband and father of four from Michigan who arrived in the United States over 50 years ago on a green card has been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment for nearly a month, according to the man’s family.

Newsweek reached out via email to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security via email for comment.

Why It Matters

Nael Shamma, a 58-year-old Palestinian from Burton, Michigan, was getting his wife, Christina, a cup of coffee when an unmarked car reportedly pulled in front of the family’s home and took him into custody, according to Flint news station ABC12.

Shamma’s detention sparks questions about the Trump administration’s wide-ranging immigration crackdown, which has included apprehending both criminals and non-violent offenders alike. ICE and DHS have remained adamant that immigrants who possess a green card are provided “a privilege, not a right,” and that the government has the authority to revoke a green card if laws are broken or abused.

What To Know

An ICE spokesperson told The Detroit News that Shamma “has a two-decade-long rap sheet” that includes breaking and entering, armed violence and aggravated battery.

“He freely admitted to ICE officers he ‘ran’ with the Latin Kings street gang in Chicago in the 1980s and has had a final order of removal since 1989,” they said.

Christina Shamma stated that her husband has resided in the U.S. for over five decades and has consistently complied with reporting requirements. His green card was revoked in his 20s when he went to prison for assault, resulting in annual check-ins since 2012, according to The Detroit News.

“He was ordered to report once a year,” she told ABC12. “He just reported in May. They told him everything was fine.”

Nael has been held at The North Lake Processing Center in West Michigan.

Shamma’s niece, Sara Haddad, told The Detroit News that ICE attempted and failed to deport him in 2012 after Israeli officials wouldn’t sign off. Shamma was born in Jerusalem one year before Israel took control of the city, effectively leaving him “stateless,” according to news outlet MLive.

Haddad said that she is fearful that her uncle will be deported to Gaza. Sending him to the wartorn area “would be sending him to death,” she said.

“It’s been very, very hard on everyone,” she told The Detroit News. “We love him so much, and he really helps take care of everyone.”

Newsweek reached out to Haddad via email for comment.

Haddad is listed as the petitioner on both a Change.org petition for Shamma and a GoFundMe that has raised more than $3,400 from 51 donations as of Thursday morning.

The pages state that Shamma is the third oldest of seven siblings, came to the U.S. at the age of 9, and has four children and two grandchildren. He’s described as “a hardworking man” who provides for his family and the “kind of person who doesn’t wait to be asked for help.”

“He is a proud American, even if the government hasn’t always seen him that way,” the Change.org petition reads. “He pays his taxes. He contributes to his community. He comes home to his two dogs, plays with his grandkids, and tries to be the best man he can be. And yet, ICE ripped him from his family without warning.

“They came to his home—a home he worked hard to earn—and took him away from the people who love and depend on him. There was no crime, no threat, no reason for such cruelty. Just a sudden, violent separation that has left his children, wife and elderly parents reeling. One moment he was feeding the dogs. The next, he was gone.”

What People Are Saying

An ICE spokesperson indicated to The Detroit News that the agency might send Shamma to a third country: “When an immigration judge orders an alien removed to a country that will not accept them, ICE coordinates with the State Department to look for a third country that will.”

What Happens Next

Shamma’s family has called for assistance from national and state lawmakers, including President Donald Trump, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Michigan U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, both Democrats.

ICE detains dad who entered US with green card 50 years ago—Family
ICE said Nael Shamma of Michigan “has a two-decade-long rap sheet” that led to his green card being revoked.

https://www.newsweek.com/ice-detains-father-green-card-michigan-2124475

Slingshot News: ‘A Little Nationalism’: Trump Spews Support For White Supremacists Attacking Immigrants During Executive Order Signing

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‘A Little Nationalism’: Trump Spews Support For White Supremacists Attacking Immigrants During Executive Order Signing
President Donald Trump voiced support for white nationalists attacking immigrants during an executive order signing in the Oval Office.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/a-little-nationalism-trump-spews-support-for-white-supremacists-attacking-immigrants-during-executive-order-signing/vi-AA1LRAvh

MSNBC: New report shows how Trump’s DHS is mainstreaming white supremacy

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The SPLC’s Hatewatch looked at how the Department of Homeland Security has ramped up its bigoted social media strategy in recent months.

Under President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security’s social media channels are beginning to look like a white nationalist content mill, churning out bigoted, jingoistic schlock.

A recent report from Hatewatch, the extremism watchdog run by the Southern Poverty Law Center, shows how the agency and top Trump administration officials have ramped up their promotion of white nationalist or anti-immigrant social media posts since June, when the agency reposted anti-immigrant propaganda that originated from an avowedly racist social media account.

MSNBC has noted the agency’s propaganda in the past, including their use of cruel memes that vilify nonwhite immigrants and of American artworks to promote themes of ethnic cleansing.

The Hatewatch report takes a comprehensive look at these incidents since June, citing an apparent increase in racist propaganda as part of what the watchdog calls “an escalating trend in American immigration enforcement toward overt use of white nationalist and anti-immigrant myths to recruit personnel and justify departmental operations.”

The Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to MSNBC’s request for comment on Hatewatch’s claims. When asked last month by NBC’s Los Angeles affiliate about the campaign, the DHS called its digital strategy “bold and effective.”

Here’s one example Hatewatch flagged:

In one recruitment poster, published on Aug. 11, a white Uncle Sam caricature in the style of a Norman Rockwell painting stands at a crossroads of directional signs that include such phrases as “INVASION,” “CULTURAL DECLINE,” “HOMELAND” and “LAW & ORDER.” The poster includes the caption “Which way, American man?” — which appears to be a nod to the influential white nationalist text Which Way Western Man? by William Gayley Simpson. Published by an imprint associated with the neo-Nazi National Alliance, the book is a reflection and critique of society from Simpson’s travels. While critical of some aspects of society, it largely frames Western civilization as superior and veers into sexist and antisemitic commentary.

To some online observers, like author and conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild, this apparent nod to an unabashed bigot was hardly subtle

….

The report notes that multiple Trump administration figures in senior leadership roles have ties to racist organizations or have been known to espouse white nationalist themes. That includes border czar Tom Homan, who collaborated with anti-Muslim hate group The United West on his “Defend the Border” project, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, whose white nationalist views first came under scrutiny during Trump’s first term.

The report also refers to multiple posts from DHS that promote the idea of forging friendships or strengthening familial bonds over the targeting of immigrants. And it notes that the agency’s social media strategy has been celebrated by known white supremacists like activist Jared Taylor, who called the posts a “remarkable change” during an episode of his podcast in August.

That’s certainly one way to describe the Department of Homeland Security’s embrace of racist propaganda to further the Trump administration’s draconian anti-immigrant agenda.

New report shows how Trump’s DHS is mainstreaming white supremacy
The SPLC’s Hatewatch looked at how the Department of Homeland Security has ramped up its bigoted social media strategy in recent months.

https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/homeland-security-social-media-white-supremacy-rcna228582

Reuters: These Trump voters back his immigration crackdown, but some worry about his methods

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While Trump supporters are happy to see criminals deported, they are split over methods for detaining immigrants.

Juan Rivera voted for President Donald Trump, hoping that the president’s efforts to rid the United States of illegal immigration would improve safety in the Southern California city where the 25-year-old content creator lives.

Neighborhoods near Rivera’s home in San Marcos that used to be frequented by migrants with “violent tendencies” do feel much safer now, he said. But he also said he’ll “never forget” seeing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pull over a truck of Latino workers and haul the men into their cars without asking for identification, leaving the empty truck behind.

Some of Rivera’s family members work for U.S. Border Patrol. Other relatives who are in the process of establishing legal residency in the United States “are scared of going to work because they fear that they’re going to get pulled over by immigration,” he said.

Overall, however, Rivera gave the Trump administration very high marks on its handling of immigration because “there’s a lot more public safety.”

Seven months into his second term, Trump’s signature issue – immigration – is still helping buoy his overall sinking approval ratings, making up for a downturn in support for his economic policies. A group of 20 Trump voters Reuters has interviewed monthly since February, including Rivera, illuminated the complex views behind the numbers.

Reuters asked the voters to rate the Trump administration’s handling of immigration on a scale of 1 to 10. Sixteen gave it a rating of 7 or higher, and none rated it below 5.

They universally support Trump’s tightening of U.S. border security to prevent further illegal immigration and his efforts to expel immigration offenders with violent criminal records. But there was less consensus about how Trump is going about the crackdown.

“President Trump was elected based on his promise to close the border and deport criminal illegal aliens,” said White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson in an emailed statement. “The Trump Administration will continue carrying out the largest mass deportation operation in history.”

The 20 voters were selected from 429 respondents to a February 2025 Ipsos poll who said they voted for Trump in November and were willing to speak to a reporter. They are not a statistically representative portrait of all Trump voters, but their ages, educational backgrounds, races/ethnicities, locations and voting histories roughly correspond to those of Trump’s overall electorate.

Seven of the voters said they worried about the means Trump was using to achieve his goals, with some recoiling at the way authorities are rounding up immigrants for deportation.

“I agree that you have to have an immigration policy and enforce it. I don’t agree with kidnapping people off the street,” said Virginia Beach-based retiree Don Jernigan.

Jernigan, 75, said that footage of ICE raids he has seen on ABC and Fox News “reminds me of Nazi Germany. And you would rarely hear me say that name, Nazi, okay? But it does, the way they snatch people.”

Other voters, such as Will Brown, 20, a student at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, urged the administration to pursue even more ambitious deportation goals.

Brown, who said he “couldn’t be more of a fan of Stephen Miller,” the White House aide credited with designing Trump’s immigration policy, noted that the deportation rate of Trump’s second term so far lagged that of the last two Democratic administrations. “Honestly, I don’t think they’re doing enough,” he said.

REALITY DIVIDE

The voters’ attitudes towards traditional news outlets heavily affected their view of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

“If you get your information from one source, ICE is devils incarnate, and if you get it from another source, they’re superheroes,” said Gerald Dunn, 66, a martial arts instructor in upstate New York.

Dunn said he rarely reads or watches news from mainstream outlets because “everything is so exaggerated.” Instead, he browses headlines and watches YouTube videos to stay informed.

He has heard reports of ICE agents detaining non-criminal immigrants, but said such incidents are blown out of proportion.

“You’re going to arrest people wrongfully, and it turns out they shouldn’t have been arrested. That doesn’t mean you don’t arrest anybody.”

In the Chicago suburbs, municipal office secretary Kate Mottl, 62, said she is thrilled with Trump’s immigration policy. She does not believe news outlets that report immigrants without a criminal record are being swept up in raids.

Mottl was dismayed to learn that some immigrants without legal status she knows are afraid of being deported under Trump.

“I tell them, ‘you shouldn’t be worried about that because you’re not a bad person. You’re not committing crimes,’” she said, adding that she feared they were being misinformed by the news sources they watch.

CLEARER PATHWAY TO LEGAL STATUS

Fourteen of the 20 voters said they hoped Trump would improve the immigration system and vetting process to help deserving foreigners with the potential to contribute to the U.S. economy legalize their status more easily in the United States.

Like Mottl, Lesa Sandberg of St. George, Utah, said she knows undocumented immigrants “who are raising their families here, who are working, who are contributing to our economy and our society. And my heart goes out to them.”

Sandberg, 57, who runs an accounting business, rents properties and works for a former Republican congressman’s political action committee, said she is glad to see the administration cracking down on immigrants with criminal backgrounds.

But when it comes to the immigrants in the U.S. illegally she considers friends, she said, “I would never call ICE on them … [it’s] that whole concept of when we know people in the situation, feelings are different about it because we know how bad it is for them.”

David Ferguson, 53, a mechanical engineer and account manager in western Georgia, said some of the foreign students in his daughter’s graduate school program want to stay and work in the United States but fear they won’t be able to re-enter if they visit their home countries, despite having valid visas.

Some immigrants really do “want to have long-term residency and be productive members of our society. Let’s give them a path for that,” he said.

Ferguson said he doesn’t think an amnesty program is necessarily the solution. But Juan Rivera, the Trump voter in southern California, thinks it could attract wide support.

“It’s actually a really big sentiment I’ve been hearing from a lot of local Republican elected officials, that the Trump administration [should] offer amnesty the way that Reagan did,” said Rivera, who does Latino outreach advocacy for his county’s Republican Party.

His own father was able to become a U.S. citizen after former Republican President Ronald Reagan signed legislation in 1986 granting amnesty to about 3 million immigrants without legal status, according to Rivera.

He said he hopes Trump moves the country toward “an immigration system that balances security with humanity.”

These Trump voters back his immigration crackdown, but some worry about his methods

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/these-trump-voters-back-his-immigration-crackdown-some-worry-about-his-methods-2025-09-02

Newsweek: Green card holder put in solitary confinement leaves family wanting answers

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AFilipino green card holder who has lived in the United States since childhood was detained and placed in solitary confinement after returning from a family trip to the Philippines, before later being released—a sequence of events that has left his family outraged.

On May 15, Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Maximo Londonio, a 42-year-old Olympia, Washington, resident, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport while he was returning from a trip to the Philippines with his wife, Crystal Londonio.

The couple had traveled overseas to mark their 20th wedding anniversary, but instead of a routine entry process, Londonio was taken into custody and held in what the family described as harsh conditions.

“A lack of compassion, a lack of care when it comes to, you know, necessities, basic needs, you know, good water, quality water,” Crystal Londonio told KING 5 Seattle at an anti-ICE protest in Seattle on Labor Day.

Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via email and the family through a GoFundMe page for comment outside office hours.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump‘s administration has ramped up immigration enforcement operations in a bid to conduct widespread deportations.

Immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained under hard-line mass deportation plans. Newsweek has documented dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the immigration raids and various arrests, as well as several who have been released from detention.

What To Know

Born in the Philippines, Londonio came to the United States when he was 12 and has lived here since 1997, according to the immigrant advocacy group Tanggol Migrante Network WA. He and his wife have three daughters, all U.S. citizens.

Londonio works as a lead forklift operator and is a dues-paying member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 695. His supporters cite his long-term residence, steady work and family ties as reasons he should not be deported.

Federal immigration law allows lawful permanent residents to be placed in removal proceedings if they have certain criminal convictions. Londonio’s record includes prior convictions for grand theft and drug possession, according to DHS.

After being detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma for two months under conditions his family described as inhumane, Londonio was released from ICE custody. Tanggol Migrante Network WA told Newsweek in July that Londonio had spent “nearly a month in solitary confinement.”

KING 5 Seattle reported that 800 people attended the Labor Day anti-ICE protest.

What People Are Saying

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in May: “Maximo Londono has a criminal record, including convictions for grand theft and the use of a controlled substance. Under federal immigration law, lawful permanent residents convicted of these types of crimes can lose their legal status and be removed. If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. When you break our laws that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”

Maximo Londonio’s family wrote on GoFundMe: “Maximo is not a threat—he is a devoted father, loving husband, community member, and worker. He has rebuilt his life with dignity and purpose, and now his family’s future is being torn apart by a broken immigration system that’s targeting long-settled immigrants like him.”

What Happens Next

Londonio’s long-term immigration status remains in question. It is unknown whether his green card has been revoked or if immigration authorities will begin removal proceedings.

Green card holder put in solitary confinement leaves family wanting answers
“A lack of compassion, a lack of care when it comes to, you know, necessities, basic needs,” Crystal Londonio told KING 5 Seattle.

https://www.newsweek.com/green-card-holder-solitary-confinement-immigration-2122990

Fulcrum US: USCIS “Anti-American” Policy: Free Speech, Green Cards & Citizenship at Risk

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The Trump administration has introduced a new immigration policy that allows U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to deny visas, green cards, and even citizenship applications if an applicant is flagged for “anti-American” activity online. The move is already drawing concern from immigration attorneys and digital security experts, who warn that the vague wording opens the door to arbitrary decisions and potential violations of free speech.

Ayla Adomat, managing attorney of Adomat Immigration and specialized in green card applications, said in an interview with Latino News Network, the government has not provided a clear standard for what qualifies as “anti-American.” “So it does seem that prior social media posts can put a visa or green card application at risk. This has been confirmed by USCIS,” she explained. “What we are seeing, though is…we’re still kind of figuring out what counts as social media here.”

Adomat noted that obvious hate content, such as anti-Semitic posts or symbols tied to extremist movements, has already been flagged. But she cautioned that political commentary could also come under scrutiny. “Commentary against Trump or the Trump administration…this can really be construed a couple of different ways,” she cautioned. “Because these policies are so new, we’re still waiting to see how these are really interpreted by the government and also later the courts, because there’s absolutely going to be litigation.”

On constitutional grounds, Adomat said there is a strong legal argument that the First Amendment applies to non-citizens. “Several Supreme Court cases have alluded to this, though it hasn’t been the central holding. That’s why I think the Trump administration is fighting it”, told LNN.

Existing immigration vetting already screens applicants for ties to terrorism, criminal activity, or other security risks. The new policy represents a shift from concrete threats to ideology and opinion. Nic Adams, co-founder and CEO of the cybersecurity firm 0rcus, argued in a statement sent to LNN the vagueness of the guidance highlights the risks of giving officers wide discretion to scrutinize digital histories. Leaving “anti-American” undefined, he warned, “could allow officers to conflate legitimate political dissent with a fundamental rejection of the United States,” putting otherwise eligible applicants in the position of having to defend old posts or satire as if they were security threats.

“The lack of a specific time limit for this review and the broad nature of what can be considered ‘anti-American’ means that applicants must be prepared to have their entire public digital history scrutinized”, Adams added. The expert said that this could put otherwise eligible applicants in a position of having to explain or defend past speech that, at the time, was a simple expression of political opinion.

Critics say the policy could create a chilling effect among immigrants and applicants for legal status, who may self-censor for fear that online comments could be misinterpreted. Adomat stressed that applicants are now being advised to review their digital history carefully because even opinions, not just past actions, could be grounds for denial.

The policy, still in its early stages, is likely to face challenges in federal court. Until then, immigration lawyers are advising clients to review their digital footprint and think twice before posting about politics online.

USCIS “Anti-American” Policy: Free Speech, Green Cards & Citizenship at Risk

https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/uscis-anti-american-policy-free-speech-green-cards-citizenship-risk

Slingshot News: ‘We’ve Taken Millions’: When Kristi Noem Bragged About Fining Americans To Donald Trump In A Cabinet Meeting

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‘We’ve Taken Millions’: When Kristi Noem Bragged About Fining Americans To Donald Trump In A Cabinet Meeting
During a Cabinet meeting earlier this year, President Donald Trump listened to Kristi Noem brag about fining Americans and immigrants millions of dollars. This occurred on national television.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/we-ve-taken-millions-when-kristi-noem-bragged-about-fining-americans-to-donald-trump-in-a-cabinet-meeting/vi-AA1LAd2H

Inquisitr: Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Hits a Wall as Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Expedited Removals

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Speed cannot replace justice when liberty is on the line.

A federal judge has reportedly blocked Donald Trump‘s administration from fast-tracking the deportation of the people that has been detained till now, far from the southern border, and it has indeed been a blow to Trump’s mass deportation scheme. It has been ruled on Friday by U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb that attempts from the administration to speed up the deportation process create a “significant risk” that can possibly affect the immigrants in a negative way, especially those having legal permission to remain in the U.S.

Judge Jia M. Cobb has been appointed by Joe Biden during his Presidential term, granted a request from Make the Road New York, an advocacy group for immigrants, pausing a couple of policies introduced by Trump in January that made millions more immigrants in the country, eligible for deportation under expedited removal. 

It is known that expedited removals are primarily being used for people who get arrested within 100 miles of the southern border, as well as within a 14-day period. The policies introduced by the President in the first week of his second Presidential term sought to expand such removals nationwide. He previously expanded the expedited removals around the country; however, it was rolled back by the then-President Joe Biden

Now, Cobb ruled that Make the Road New York had made a convincing argument that the extended application of the expedited removal doesn’t align with or go with the immigrants’ due process rights. She also said that she isn’t questioning whether expanding expedited removals is constitutional, but has just ruled the government needs to ensure it affords potential deportees due process.

“[The court] merely holds that in applying the statute to a huge group of people living in the interior of the country who have not previously been subject to expedited removal, the Government must afford them due process. The procedures currently in place fall short,” Cobb wrote.

“When it comes to people living in the interior of the country, prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the government to erroneously remove people via this truncated process,” she continued. She also reflected on the people who got affected by this process and said that they – “have a weighty liberty interest in remaining here and therefore must be afforded due process under the Fifth Amendment.” 

The judge has henceforth restricted the expedited removal of immigrants with parole status earlier this month, saying that this action was necessary to change the game for people previously authorized to remain.

As per reports, the population of the country, solely considering immigrants, has dropped by 1.4 million between January and July,  says the Pew Research Center and this has been combining forced removals and people leaving in fear.

Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Hits a Wall as Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Expedited Removals
A federal judge blocks Trump’s expanded fast-track deportations, citing risks to immigrants’ due process rights.

WSWS: Guards riot, beat immigrant detainees at “Alligator Alcatraz” concentration camp in Florida Everglades

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On August 28, Noticias 23, the local Spanish-language Univision station in Miami–Ft. Lauderdale, received several frantic phone calls from immigrants detained at the Florida Everglades concentration camp, reporting that guards were assaulting and beating them.

In phone calls recorded by the outlet, immigrants at the facility—dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by President Donald Trump and his fascist supporters—said that at least four detainees were injured after guards deployed tear gas and began beating them.

“People started shouting because a relative had died, and they started shouting for freedom. At that moment, a prison team came in and started beating everyone,” said one of the detainees in one of the three phone calls.

He continued, “Right now, it’s unrest, and well, we have the helicopter overhead. Everyone here has been beaten up, many people have bled, brother, tear gas, we are immigrants, we are not criminals, we are not murderers.”

Another detainee told the outlet, “There are helicopters up above and a lot of people are bleeding. They’re beating us, they’re mistreating us.”

In another phone call, an audible alarm screeched in the background as one of the immigrants pleaded through tears, “It’s the emergency alarm, please help us.”

Family members of immigrants at the facility also reported to Noticias 23 that guards were rioting. Univision/Noticias 23 sent a request for comment to the Florida state spokesperson who oversees the concentration camp, but as of this writing there has been no reply.

The riot at the concentration camp comes one week after U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction barring any further transfers to the facility and ordering it to be shut down within 60 days. Williams’ decision came in response to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups and the Miccosukee tribe of Florida, who argued that the facility violated several environmental laws and endangered local species and tribal resources.

The state of Florida and the US federal government have asked Judge Williams to put her order on hold pending an appeal from the state. As of this writing, Williams has not ruled on the stay request. But hundreds of detainees have reportedly been moved to other detention facilities.

It appears the judge’s decision to shut down the camp infuriated the guards, who have sadistically taken out their anger on the remaining immigrants at the facility.

While the camp was initially sold to the public as a cheap alternative to house up to 5,000 immigrants, it appears that at its height just under 1,000 people were imprisoned in the hellish facility. On a tour last week following Judge Williams’ decision, Florida Representative Maxwell Frost (Democrat) estimated that between 300 and 350 people were still being held at the camp.

On August 27, the Associated Press reported that in a message sent to South Florida Rabbi Mario Rojzman on August 22, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie said the camp was closing down operations quickly.

“[W]e are probably going to be down to 0 individuals within a few days,” Guthrie wrote to Rojzman, indicating that the rabbi’s services would not be needed at the camp.

Questioned by an AP reporter about the email at an event in Orlando, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did not dispute the account and indicated that the camp was no longer needed because the Department of Homeland Security was increasing the pace of deportations.

“Ultimately, it’s DHS’s decision where they want to process and stage detainees, and it’s their decision about when they want to bring them out,” DeSantis told AP.

The barbaric immigrant detention facility was hastily constructed two months ago in the middle of the Florida Everglades on a defunct airport tarmac. After construction was completed, Trump toured the facility with DeSantis, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the fascist White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Trump hailed the camp as a model to be emulated and openly mused that it could be used to imprison and deport US citizens: “But we also have a lot of bad people that have been here for a long time. … They are not new to our country, they are old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here too. You want to know the truth.”

As soon as the concentration camp opened, reports immediately emerged of cruel, inhumane and unlivable conditions. Overflowing toilets, humid tents filled with mosquitos and other insects, inedible food containing worms, and the denial of access to attorneys and medical care are just some of the abuses immigrants held at the facility have suffered.

Disease also appears to be spreading rampantly at the facility. Immigrants and guards have fallen ill from what appears to have been a massive COVID-19 outbreak that nearly killed Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez, a 38-year-old Venezuelan man. Rivas Velásquez collapsed at the facility earlier this month after being denied medical care.

In addition to being a colossal human rights abuse, the concentration camp is also a tremendous waste of money. The state of Florida signed approximately $405 million in vendor contracts to build and operate the facility, and by July 2025 had already paid out about $245 million, according to the AP. Because of the judge’s ruling, the AP estimated the state stands to lose approximately $218 million.

Court documents submitted by the Florida Department of Emergency Management and reviewed by WPTV, the local NBC affiliate in West Palm Beach, found that it could cost as much as $20 million to tear down the camp.

Guards riot, beat immigrant detainees at “Alligator Alcatraz” concentration camp in Florida Everglades
In frantic phone calls, immigrants reported that guards deployed tear gas and assaulted them.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/08/29/uyvh-a29.html

Guardian: Detainees report alleged uprising at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: ‘A lot of people have bled’

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Reports of incident were denied by Florida and Ice officials as detainees say they were beaten and teargas was fired

Reports of incident were denied by Florida and Ice officials as detainees say they were beaten and teargas was fired

Richard Luscombe in MiamiFri 29 Aug 2025 12.37 EDTShare

Guards at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail deployed teargas and engaged in a mass beating of detainees to quell a mini-uprising, it was reported on Friday.

The allegations, made by at least three detainees in phone calls to Miami’s Spanish language news channel Noticias 23, come as authorities race to empty the camp in compliance with a judge’s order to close the remote tented camp in the Everglades wetlands.

The incident took place after several migrants held there began shouting for “freedom” after one received news a relative had died, according to the outlet. A team of guards then rushed in and began beating individuals indiscriminately with batons, and fired teargas at them, the detainees said.

“They’ve beaten everyone here, a lot of people have bled.

Detainees report alleged uprising at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: ‘A lot of people have bled’
Reports of incident were denied by Florida and Ice officials as detainees say they were beat and teargas was fired

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/29/alligator-alcatraz-uprising-florida-immigration