Alligator Alcatraz: Families and Lawyers Denounce Disappearance of Migrants and Their ICE Records

Migrants vanish from ICE records

Families and lawyers denounce opacity

Alligator Alcatraz under scrutiny

Families of migrants and their lawyers have denounced the “mysterious disappearance” of hundreds of detainees at the Alligator Alcatraz detention center, located west of Miami, Florida.

The alarm began when they noticed that the information of these individuals vanished from the online database of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“When you search for people detained there, ICE’s locator now says: ‘Call the Florida Department of Corrections for details,’” explained Luis Sorto of Sanctuary of the South, an organization providing legal services to migrants.

Families and Lawyers Denounce Disappearance of Migrants in Alligator Alcatraz

Alligator Alcatraz: Families and Lawyers Denounce Disappearance of Migrants – PHOTO Shutterstock

The Legal Battle

Attorneys and advocates, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), are maintaining a lawsuit against the U.S. government over restrictions on migrants’ access to their legal representatives.

Eunice Cho, senior attorney for the ACLU National Prison Project, declared:

“ICE’s persistent refusal to update detainees’ locations in a timely manner is a significant obstacle to effective attorney-client communication, undermines due process, and is yet another hallmark of the cruelty of the detention system.”

The ACLU described the center as “a black hole,” where migrants are practically “off the radar,” preventing families from knowing where they are.

Alarming Data Regarding ICE Records

Report reveals two-thirds of immigrants detained in July at the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ have disappeared | Democracy Now! https://t.co/MLZndQbE2e

— Gonzalo Guillén (@HELIODOPTERO) September 24, 2025

A report from the Miami Herald revealed that by the end of August, around 800 detainees were missing from ICE’s database, and another 450 cases showed the message:

“Call ICE for details.”

Immigration lawyer Alex Solomiany recounted that one of his clients was mistakenly deported to Guatemala without notice:

“I am working with ICE so that they grant him a parole allowing him to return to the United States,” he said.

Families insist that cases like this prove the lack of control and opacity of the authorities.

Conditions and Questions

Alligator Alcatraz was built in just one week on an airstrip in the Everglades and was inaugurated by President Donald Trump in July.

Since then, families and lawyers have denounced poor hygiene conditions, deficient food, and mistreatment.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that “the number of detainees fluctuates constantly” because they are transferred or deported, and that “all detainees have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their families.”

However, families argue that this communication is limited and that many loved ones remain missing from the system.

Judicial Background

In August, a judge ordered the dismantling of Alligator Alcatraz following a lawsuit from environmental groups and a local Indigenous tribe.

However, an appeals court suspended the measure and allowed it to remain open while litigation proceeds.

Although a state official claimed the facility would be emptied within days, lawyers and families maintain they still do not know how many detainees were transferred, deported, or remain inside the center.

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What’s Next

The situation at Alligator Alcatraz reflects the tension between federal immigration policy and the defense of human rights.

ICE’s lack of transparency leaves entire families in uncertainty and reinforces accusations that the U.S. immigration system prioritizes opacity over due process.

Source: El Diario / El Pais