White House border czar Tom Homan said complaints about poor conditions at Alligator Alcatraz are exaggerated and being politicized by lawmakers in Florida.
Homan, who has not visited the controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades, told CNN that criticism from Democrats in Congress and others is false.
“I doubt a lot of that’s factual,” he said. “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has the highest detention standards in the industry.”
READ MORE: Congressional, state lawmakers tour Alligator Alcatraz. See men in cages. Hear pleas of 'Libertad'
The newly built immigrant detention facility has come under fire after Democratic congressional members toured it over the weekend and reported harsh and horrific conditions. Lawmakers described sweltering heat, bug infestations, insufficient meals and detainees — crammed in cages — crying out for help.
Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, Homan blasted Democrats for hypocrisy.
“You didn't seem them complaining about, under Biden administration, people being held in a Border Patrol parking lot surrounded by a fence in the sweltering heat, not a word,” he said in reference to record numbers of migrants who were processed at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Under Biden’s “open border policies,” he said there were migrant deaths, fentanyl overdoses, human trafficking and encounters with individuals on terrorist watchlists.
“You can’t have strong national security in this country if you don't have border security,” he said, saying Democratic lawmakers were “complicit” for not holding the Biden administration accountable.
The Associated Press reported Friday that people being held there say worms turn up in the food, toilets don’t flush, flooding floors are filled with fecal waste, and mosquitoes and other insects are everywhere. Detainees are said to go days without showering or getting prescription medicine, and they are only able to speak by phone to lawyers and loved ones. At times the air conditioners abruptly shut off in the sweltering heat.
The AP based its reporting on interviews with attorneys and relatives of those detained at Alligator Alcatraz. Authorities have denied media access to the facility or detainees.
State and federal officials dispute the negative descriptions of the conditions at the detention center reported by the Associated Press.
“The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order," said Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson with the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which built the center.
