Gov. DeSantis says he doesn’t know whether Alligator Alcatraz inmates are being denied access to lawyers

DeSantis Rumble fort lauderdale
The ACLU and others are suing, claiming inmates are being denied due process and access to legal services.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has heavily promoted his involvement in Alligator Alcatraz this Summer.

But when it comes to big questions, such as whether inmates at the illegal immigrant lockup are being deprived meetings with lawyers as alleged in a recent lawsuit, DeSantis is pleading ignorance while suggesting the press may be to blame for the narrative.

“First of all, I don’t know,” DeSantis said in Fort Lauderdale. “A lot of these are criminal aliens, and they will make claims, and then the media’s kind of running with it. I know that the DHS anticipated that there would be legal involvement.”

DeSantis said he hasn’t “been down there since the President was there” weeks ago for the soft opening of the converted training airport on the edge of the Everglades. He went on to say the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “required there to be certain things” and that “legal was a part of that.”

It may be in DeSantis’ interest to figure out what’s going on given that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups are suing over due process violations and deprivation of legal counsel at the facility.

The case, filed in the Southern District of Florida, lists as defendants DHS, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, DeSantis and Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie.

The ACLU, ACLU of Florida and Americans for Immigrant Justice are working with inmates and other groups representing them, including Florida Keys Immigration, Sanctuary of the South, U.S. Immigration Law Counsel, Victoria Slatton of Sanabria & Associates, and the Law Offices of Catherine Perez, PLLC.

The plaintiffs (Michael Borrego Fernandez, J.M.C. and E.R.) allege that lawyers have been frustrated in their attempts to meet with clients on site, and their clients have been thwarted in their attempts to file motions that could lead to their release from the extraordinary ad hoc prison located on the edge of the Everglades.

The suit says attempts to phone the facility have proven fruitless, while an email provided to plaintiff lawyers allegedly leads to bounced-back messages.

During his comments Tuesday, DeSantis also remarked that legislators complaining about conditions in the facility are just seeking “notoriety,” and that inmates and staff ate the same meals.

“Everyone’s the same there, and they were mad that the ham sandwiches weren’t toasted. Excuse me? I mean, give me a break,” DeSantis said.

As he has recently, DeSantis also said people can opt out of incarceration there by simply leaving to go back where they came from.

“The first thing DHS does is they give you a brochure and they tell you, you don’t have to come here. You can get, at federal expense, an all expenses paid flight back to your home country. No questions asked,” DeSantis said.

“Obviously, they’ll escort you to make sure you’re getting on the plane. They check to make sure you land. But they are offering that for every single one of these folks who end up being brought there. So nobody has to go there if they don’t want. They do have the ability to take the DHS up on their offer and go back to their home country.”

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


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