1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I am writing to express my profound outrage and alarm at the conditions documented in Amnesty International's December 2025 report "Torture and Enforced Disappearances in the Sunshine State," which details systematic human rights violations at Florida's immigration detention facilities, including the Everglades Detention Facility ("Alligator Alcatraz") and Krome North Service Processing Center. The findings are nothing short of horrifying: TORTURE AND CRUEL TREATMENT: - Detainees confined in a 2x2 foot outdoor cage called "the box" for hours, shackled and exposed to extreme heat with minimal water - Prolonged solitary confinement exceeding 15 days, which constitutes torture under international law - Routine shackling of detainees for 24+ hours during transfers, including during medical treatment - Overflowing toilets with fecal matter seeping into sleeping areas - Constant stadium lighting preventing sleep - Extreme temperature fluctuations and exposure to disease-carrying mosquitos without protection ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES: - Detainees at "Alligator Alcatraz" are not registered in any federal database, making them effectively "disappeared" - Families and attorneys cannot locate their loved ones or clients - No federal oversight of this state-run facility MEDICAL NEGLECT AND DEATHS: - Four deaths at Krome in 2025 alone - Systematic denial of medical care, including for serious conditions like kidney stones, pneumonia, infections, and mental health crises - Detainees forced to wait weeks for basic medical attention while conditions worsen DENIAL OF DUE PROCESS: - No access to legal counsel at "Alligator Alcatraz" - Phone calls monitored and limited to five minutes - Attorney visits denied or detainees transferred immediately before scheduled legal meetings - Coercion to sign "voluntary departure" forms to escape inhumane conditions - Deportations to third countries without proper legal proceedings These conditions violate: - The U.S. Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment - The Convention Against Torture, which the United States has ratified - Basic human dignity and decency This is happening on American soil, under American authority, with American tax dollars. The state of Florida has diverted over $360 million from essential services—including children's healthcare, affordable housing, and disaster preparedness—to fund a detention system designed to torture and terrorize vulnerable people. I DEMAND IMMEDIATE ACTION: 1. IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATIONS: Launch thorough congressional investigations into conditions at both facilities, with unannounced inspections by independent monitors. 2. CLOSE "ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ": This facility operates outside federal oversight and facilitates enforced disappearances. It must be shut down immediately. 3. END TORTURE PRACTICES: Prohibit the use of "the box," prolonged solitary confinement, prolonged shackling, and all other practices that constitute torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. 4. ENSURE DUE PROCESS: Guarantee all detainees access to legal counsel, proper registration in federal databases, and fair legal proceedings. 5. PROVIDE ADEQUATE MEDICAL CARE: Ensure immediate, adequate healthcare for all detainees and investigate all deaths in custody. 6. PROHIBIT STATE-RUN IMMIGRATION DETENTION: Federal immigration detention must remain under federal oversight with enforceable standards. 7. END EMERGENCY FUNDING ABUSE: Prohibit the misuse of emergency management funds for immigration detention operations. 8. ACCOUNTABILITY: Hold individuals responsible for torture and human rights violations accountable, including state officials who authorized these practices. 9. PROVIDE REMEDIES: Ensure those harmed receive appropriate compensation and support. 10. RESTORE FUNDING: Require Florida to restore funding to the healthcare, housing, and disaster preparedness programs that were gutted to pay for these abuses. The testimonies in this report are haunting: "We're locked up in 1,000 ft² cages...