With the peak of hurricane season fast approaching, immigrant rights advocates have concerns over whether the hastily constructed detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz can withstand a major storm.
During a press briefing Friday, Florida officials said their team has contingency plans in the event a major storm strikes.
"As our capacity increases, we continue to identify contingency plans to ensure we are ready for hurricane season," Kevin Guthrie, the head of emergency management for the state of Florida said in the briefing.
He said his team recently visited several prisons in Florida to evaluate them as potential sites to evacuate detainees during a major storm.
"This facility...can withstand category winds of up to category two. But, there's a category three and a four and a five...when we have that situation we will have to do an evacuation," he said.
Guthrie added it is incumbent upon Florida emergency managers and law enforcement partners to handle such an effort. He said the detention center meets or exceeds Florida or national standards, whichever is higher.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade mayor asks the state for access to Alligator Alcatraz — again
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