Family of detainee fears conditions inside Alligator Alcatraz as new lawsuit targets facility

MIAMI — Yesenia Perez says she hasn’t seen her brother in 76 days.

He is being detained inside Alligator Alcatraz, and Perez fears for her brothers life.

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Her fears add to months of mounting concerns over alleged inhumane conditions inside the facility, claims state officials have denied.

“They treat us like we are the scum of the earth,” said detainee Arlexis Linares during a phone call with his sister.

Linares said detainees often go hungry and questioned the quality of the water they are given to drink.

“They don’t drink that water. They drink bottled water,” Linares said.

“We drink this mystery water,” Linares added. “I call it mystery water because I don’t know where the water comes from.”

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As the facility reportedly begins the process of shutting down, the state is now facing another lawsuit.

This time, the Center for Biological Diversity argues diesel-fueled generators at the facility are emitting “significant amounts of dangerous air pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment.”

An attorney for the environmental group told Local 10 News, “Small businesses that emit air pollution go get air pollution permits, but the state thinks it’s above the law.”

The lawsuit also points to a state-commissioned environmental assessment that said no significant adverse impacts were expected from operating the facility, with the exception of air quality.

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