Newly uncovered paperwork detailing the method of constructing Florida’s so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention facility present that tools meant for use to reply to pure disasters was diverted to the right-wing challenge.
Speaking Factors Memo examined the contracts between distributors and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, uncovering one with Baker’s Electronics & Communications Inc. that refers to an “Atlas trunked radio system,” which is utilized by public security companies for communication.
The doc signifies that the system was “pulled” from an present catastrophe preparedness platform and despatched to “Alligator Alcatraz.” The contract additionally indicated that the system needed to “be back-filled to prevent a response gap during hurricane season given the unknown duration of detention center operation.”
Flooding is seen in Florida following Hurricane Irma in 2017.
No U.S. state has extra hurricanes than Florida. The storms, flooding, and different destruction related to such climate occasions have taken hundreds of lives through the years. Regardless of Florida’s want for an in depth preparedness infrastructure, the contract seems to show that the fitting’s pet challenge took precedence as a substitute.
Along with issues about diverted emergency tools, latest reporting from the Miami Herald revealed that a number of contractors concerned within the facility’s building had been additionally donors to DeSantis and the Florida GOP.
The detention facility is working much like a black website, run by the state authorities with little to no oversight. The explanations for why individuals are being detained are hidden from the general public, and people inside are usually not knowledgeable of the phrases of their incarceration. The state is receiving funding from the Trump administration as a reward for working.
Democratic officers in Florida just lately sued the state after they had been denied entry to conduct normal oversight. The DeSantis administration is notoriously secretive and has threatened the press over investigations into the governor’s spouse, Casey Desantis.
The tactic echoes the Trump administration’s strategy on the federal degree, the place Democratic lawmakers have been arrested whereas attempting to research ICE detention amenities.
“Alligator Alcatraz”—a model that Florida Republicans have now monetized with merchandise—is a manifestation of Trump’s beforehand expressed want for an inhumane immigration detention facility.
He and different main Republicans have expressed glee on the prospect of violating human rights—they usually’re clearly keen to hobble emergency response techniques for the chance to take action.
