A group of immigrant advocates on Wednesday demanded increased oversight of a federal immigration office in Miramar that has been turned into a make-shift detention center, saying conditions at the facility are "inhumane" for detainees.
Speaking at a news conference outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building off SW 145th Avenue in southwest Broward County, several speakers said detainees have told them of inadequate access to bathrooms and beds, and severe overcrowding.
“Today people are crammed together sleeping on concrete floors with limited access to food, water or hygiene in conditions that attack human dignity,” said Jacqueline López, executive director of Working Women USA and a founding member of the Miramar Circle of Protection, which organized Wednesday's press conference.
As the advocates spoke, families of detainees sat along the grass in lawn chairs, bearing the summer heat, waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones.
For years, volunteers with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Miramar Circle of Protection said they have regularly visited the Miramar office, offering support — whether its rides, legal assistance or water — to families of detainees and people reporting for immigration appointments.
More recently, they say, the processing office has been turned into a detention facility housing immigrants for "days at a time" under "inhumane" conditions.
Perpetual mistreatment, heat concerns
Elena Muñoz, a Miramar Circle of Protection member, told reporters of one Nicaraguan man who was recently deported after being detained in the Miramar facility.
“[He] was detained in spite of not having an appointment. He was out with his kids and they still made him go,” Muñoz said. “This family entered the country through a port of entry, passed inspection and was allowed to enter to seek asylum. He had a work permit, Social Security [number] and paid taxes.”
Silvia Muñoz, another Miramar Circle advocate, told the story of a woman from Homestead who witnessed people fainting from the heat inside the Miramar facility.
”She was here the day before and told me how crowded and hot it was inside. She stayed there until 6 p.m. with no water and no food,” Muñoz said.
WLRN could not independently verify the claims by Miramar Circle of Protection members.
ICE officials did not immediately respond to WLRN when asked to comment on the claims by the immigrant advocates.
In a statement issued in April, ICE officials said the agency is "committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments."
From the Everglades to Miramar
Arianne Betancourt, an immigrant rights activist who protested weekly outside Alligator Alcatraz, said she joined the activists in Miramar because she was told conditions were worse than the controversial state-run managed facility in the Everglades.
Her father, Justo Betancourt, was held for four months before being freed in May from Alligator Alcatraz, which state officials recently announced was being shut down.
“ Alligator Alcatraz was a facility set up to hold people, and we the people shut it down because of the cruelty and inhumanity inside of those tents. What makes you believe that this facility that is an office space is set up to house people for days and weeks at a time?” Betancourt said.
READ MORE: Everglades advocates demand 'full remediation of the harm' caused by Alligator Alcatraz
‘Enough will be enough’
Betancourt and other activists at Wednesday's news conference are calling on elected officials to conduct continued, unannounced visits to protect the detainees from alleged abuse.
“ We the people need to make sure that we make sure that our congressional reps and people in positions of power do their job and perform unannounced oversight checks at all of these facilities because the claims of cruelty and inhumanity are no longer claims. We have thousands of people backing up what is happening inside of these detention facilities,” Betancourt said.
Maria Bilbao, a spokesperson with American Friends Service Committee Florida, echoed Betancourt's remarks.
"We cannot continue relying on scattered testimonies to understand what is happening inside this facility," Bilbao said. "Our elected officials have both the authority and the responsibility to see these conditions firsthand."
The advocates want accountability from federal immigration authorities for any alleged mistreatment of detained immigrants.
“Transparency and accountability are indispensable when the lives, health and dignity of people are at stake. Immigrants deserve dignity and humane treatment,” said Miramar Circle of Protection leader López.
Said Betancourt: “ This does not end here. There's enough of us that if we stand up and we say enough is enough, enough will be enough.”
