Lawmakers got their first look at the federal government's new detention center in the Everglades on Saturday—and though the tour was limited, brief, and controlled by Florida officials, Democrats said they saw enough. "There are really disturbing, vile conditions, and this place needs to be shut the hell down," US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz told reporters afterward. "This place is a stunt, and they're abusing human beings here." A Republican state legislator said that's not what he saw. "The rhetoric coming out of the Democrats does not match the reality," Sen. Blaise Ingoglia told the AP later by phone. "It's a detention center, not the Four Seasons."
- The tour: After leaving cellphones behind, the "Alligator Alcatraz" tour group met with administrators, saw the food provided to detainees, and were shown a new, empty dorm at the makeshift complex, which government officials say is temporary, over the course of two hours.
- "Freedom!": The guide at one point briefly opened a door to an occupied living quarters, per the Miami Herald, and detainees began to shout "Libertad"—"Freedom." Guards stood between the group and the detainees. Ingoglia said a few detainees became "a little raucous" when they saw the visitors, but he said he couldn't tell what they were saying.
- No mixing: US Rep. Maxwell Frost brought a binder of photos of people his constituents asked him to look for on the tour. He and other lawmakers said they were kept from speaking with the detainees and not given an explanation for the decision.
- Conditions: Most Democrats didn't directly argue Ingoglia's contention that the place was clean, but they said they didn't get a good look at the bathrooms and living facilities the detainees are using. They reported that each "cage" holds 32 detainees, who wear wristbands identifying the ones with a criminal conviction, per the Herald. Private contractors seemed to mostly make up the staff inside, Democrats said.
- Accusations: Detainees, family members, and advocates have told the AP that conditions include worm-infested food and overflowing toilets. One report said detainees sometimes go days between showers. A Florida spokesperson said such accounts are "completely false," adding that detainees receive three meals a day, unlimited drinking water, showers, and other necessities.
The tour was arranged after state Democrats tried to go inside on July 3 but were refused. The group later sued. Although they were allowed in on Saturday, journalists were not. The Democrats said they'll be back for more unannounced visits.
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