© 2025 | WUWF Public Media
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514
850 474-2787
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Miami-Dade mayor asks the state for access to Alligator Alcatraz — again

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks at a press conference on Dec. 21, 2022.
Sam Navarro
/
Miami Herald
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava speaks at a press conference on Dec. 21, 2022.

Miami-Dade County's mayor is again asking the state for access to Alligator Alcatraz — the immigration detention center in the Everglades.

In a letter to the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Friday, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava stressed that Miami-Dade officials are entitled to access since the land is county-owned.

"This is particularly urgent given the repeated news stories exposing troubling and dangerous conditions at the site, and the confirmation that the facility housed minors," the letter reads.

"Furthermore, continued reports confirm extreme health conditions leading to inhumane treatment of detained individuals. As we head further into hurricane season, we remain concerned for the safety of both staff and detainees, and the State's ability to quickly evacuate this temporary facility in the face of an oncoming storm."

READ MORE: First deportation flights depart from Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Levine Cava is asking for access by July 28.

She's also requesting weekly reports to the county on environmental impacts, as well as remote video monitoring or third-party access for ongoing observation.

"Our residents deserve full accountability for operations taking place on County-owned property," the letter concludes.

This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.

Copyright 2025 WLRN Public Media

Sherrilyn Cabrera
During her time at Florida International University, where she recently graduated from with a Bachelors in Journalism, Sherrilyn Cabrera interned for the South Florida News Service - a digital journalism platform where stories are written, shot and edited by FIU students. As part of her senior project, she reported on the influx of Puerto Ricans who migrated to Florida after Hurricane Maria, and the impact it could have had on the November 2018 midterm elections.