Miami archbishop slams Everglades migrant detention site known as 'Alligator Alcatraz' as 'unbecoming' and ‘corrosive'

Archbishop Thomas Wenski criticized the remote location of the detention site called "Alligator Alcatraz" and the rhetoric surrounding it.

The Archdiocese of Miami is condemning Florida’s controversial migrant detention facility — which state officials have named “Alligator Alcatraz” — calling it “unbecoming of public officials” and “corrosive of the common good.”

In a strongly worded statement posted to the Archdiocese’s website, Archbishop Thomas Wenski criticized both the conditions at the remote detention site in the Everglades and the rhetoric surrounding it.

He wrote: “It is unbecoming of public officials and corrosive of the common good to speak of the deterrence value of ‘alligators and pythons’ at the Collier-Dade facility.”

Wenski’s statement also highlighted humanitarian concerns, noting the isolation of the facility from medical care and the vulnerability of the temporary tent structures to Florida’s harsh summer weather and hurricane threats. He also called for chaplains and ministers to be granted access to serve those in custody.

Meanwhile, a group of Democratic state lawmakers has filed a lawsuit against the state after being denied entry to the site last week. The complaint argues they are legally entitled to “immediate, unannounced access” to the facility.