1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

The inhumane conditions at the hastily-built Alligator Auschwitz detention facility in Florida's Everglades are appalling and unacceptable. Detainees have described lethal temperatures in the tents, a lack of running water, maggot-infested food, nonfunctional toilets, and swarms of mosquitos. Further, with hurricane season upon us, the tents at that facility will not withstand even a tropical storm. Detainees will die because of these horrific conditions. They will die from mosquito-borne diseases. They will die from contaminated-water-borne diseases. They will die from heatstroke. They will die from snakebites and inadequate medical care. To make matters worse, none of the detainees were afforded due process. Many have no criminal record. They were sent to a death camp due solely to the color of their skin. My oldest uncle liberated similar camps in Germany in 1945. I am horrified such a concentration camp exists in the United States. If this were happening in another country, we would demand its perpetrators face trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity. We, as a people and a country, should be better than this. We can be better than this. You, and your colleagues in Congress, have the authority to inspect this camp and shut it down. Additionally, Congress must act to halt any further expansion of these inhumane immigration jails until human rights standards can be met and enforced. My wife and I implore you to close this death camp. Robust oversight and concrete steps to remedy these human rights violations are imperative.