Demand Investigation and Prosecution for Torture at Florida Migrant Detention Facility

I am writing to demand immediate investigation and criminal prosecution of those responsible for torture at the Florida migrant detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz. According to an Amnesty International report released this week, detainees are being subjected to torture techniques that mirror those used by the CIA at post-9/11 black sites. Four men interviewed by Amnesty International described a two-by-two foot cage-like structure located outside in the yard where individuals are sent for punishment. Detainees are placed in the box with hands shackled and feet attached to restraints on the ground, unable to sit down or move positions. They are forced to remain there for hours in the heat with minimal water or protection from sun, heat, and insects. One witness reported seeing someone kept in the box for an entire day. People were reportedly put in the box for minor infractions like asking guards for help or alerting guards to someone's need for medication. These confinement boxes are nearly identical to those used on Abu Zubaydah, the first CIA detainee post-9/11. In August 2002, he was placed in a small confinement box measuring 21 inches wide, 2.5 feet deep, and 2.5 feet high for 29 hours, forcing him to curl up unable to extend his extremities. The reappearance of these techniques at a domestic facility demonstrates what happens when torture architects face no consequences. The situation is compounded by the unusual relationship between ICE and Florida that causes migrants transferred to this facility to disappear from ICE databases and all public records. Families and lawyers cannot locate them, and no one knows how many people are currently detained there. Torture is illegal by law enforcement on U.S. soil. I urge you to call for a Department of Justice investigation and ensure those responsible face criminal prosecution. Without accountability, these practices will continue and expand to other vulnerable populations.