• Detainees at "Alligator Alcatraz" are reportedly held without charges and barred from legal representation.
• Attorneys claim detainees are pressured to sign deportation orders without counsel.
• A class-action lawsuit demands federal and state officials clarify who has jurisdiction over the facility.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claims conditions have improved, allowing legal visits and video calls.
• The situation has sparked considerable controversy regarding the treatment of immigrants.

A group of civil rights attorneys has filed a class-action lawsuit against "Alligator Alcatraz," an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, claiming detainees are held without charges and are barred from accessing legal representation. The lawyers argue that this situation has resulted in significant violations of the detainees' constitutional rights, particularly as more than 100 detainees have reportedly already been deported from the facility. They assert that officers at "Alligator Alcatraz" are reportedly coercing detainees into signing deportation orders without providing them a chance to consult with their legal counsel, creating an "emergency situation," as highlighted by attorney Eunice Cho from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation during a federal court hearing in Miami, according to latimes and huffpost.

During the virtual court session, attorneys expressed frustrations over numerous impediments in seeking the legal rights of their clients. They reported that attempts to locate clients detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been futile, with many unable to ascertain whether their clients are even at the facility, according to statements made in court. Lawyers mentioned that communication barriers exist, including paid and monitored phone calls which hinder private discussions with clients. This treatment raises significant concerns and patterns suggestive of a lack of due process, according to reports from thehill and scmp.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s legal representative countered the claims, declaring improvements have been made, including the establishment of video conference facilities for attorneys to consult with detainees. Despite these assertions, attorneys argue that the systems in place do not adequately resolve the fundamental issues of legal access and the ability to contest detentions effectively, as noted during the hearing. The U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz, appointed by former President Donald Trump, indicated that he would not allow the court to take on the role of supervising the facility, while also emphasizing the need for clarity regarding jurisdictional authority, according to huffpost and latimes.

The controversies surrounding "Alligator Alcatraz" extend beyond these legal battles, as environmental groups have also filed lawsuits seeking to halt the facility’s operations due to perceived violations of state and federal environmental laws. The situation continues to illustrate the multifaceted challenges facing immigration detention practices in the United States, as these legal and ethical debates unfold in the court system, drawing attention from both civil rights advocates and government officials alike, according to scmp and thehill.