Compelled by faith, some of Florida’s most prominent faith leaders are meeting every Sunday deep in the Florida Everglades to protest Alligator Alcatraz, the controversial immigration detention center that opened earlier this year.
They bear signs reading “Alcatraz is Inhumane,” wear shirts that say “Deport ICE,” and raise their voices with chants to “Shut it down.” They travel from every corner of the state, representing an extraordinary coalition of faith traditions, united by the belief that Alligator Alcatraz persecutes immigrants in direct violation of the compassion and dignity at the heart of every religion.
And what began as a flicker of resistance has grown into a roaring movement.
What is Alligator Alcatraz?
Alligator Alcatraz is an immigration detention facility built on an abandoned airport runway about 43 miles west of Miami. Nestled in the heart of the Florida Everglades, the facility was fast-tracked by state leaders earlier this year to further President Trump’s deportation goals. It can house an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 detainees.
The facility’s cheeky name was coined by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who called the area’s dangerous wildlife, inhospitable terrain, sweltering heat, and hurricane risk “the best natural perimeter that money can’t buy.”
But while officials boasted about the prison’s rugged defenses, those inside paint a far darker picture of what life is really like behind its walls.
Former detainees have described “unlivable” conditions: meager food, poor sanitation, cage-like units crammed with dozens of individuals, and fluorescent lights that never switch off.
Earlier this month, a judge ordered the center temporarily shut down on environmental grounds, ruling that the hastily-built complex had bypassed federal environmental review. Governor DeSantis has vowed to fight the ruling in court.
Faith Leaders Fight Back
For weeks, faith leaders of every stripe have made the pilgrimage to the edges of Alligator Alcatraz to hold Sunday prayer vigils. What began as a small gathering of clergy has ballooned into an event drawing hundreds.
The interfaith vigils are attended by Christians, Jews, Muslims, and secular allies who say shutting down the facility is a moral imperative. Buses full of congregants join their pastors, rabbis, and imams, transforming the protests into both a rally and a revival.
"It's all unacceptable. It's all inhumane. People need to be treated with dignity and respect," said Rabbi Jessica Jacobs. "We're gathering together as people of faith and people of consciousness to say, Not on our watch.”
“To see this, to see our communities torn apart and treated so inhumanely with no dignity, speaks against every faith,” said Aida Mackic of the Islamic Society of Tampa Bay. “It's totally against everything that we believe in.”
A Catholic motorcycle group called Knights on Bikes also joined the prayer effort:
Are Deportations Immoral?
For many, the plight of migrants extends far beyond the detention center walls. As Rev. Juan del Hierro put it: “Every person, no matter where they come from, no matter their immigration status, is a child of God... When human beings are treated as less than, it is not only they who suffer, it is our collective humanity that is diminished.”
And even though a judge has ordered the facility shuttered, faith leaders say their fight is far from over. If detainees are transferred elsewhere, they pledge to follow. "We still have to keep working,” said protester Judith Echeverria. “We still have to stand up for what's right.”
What do you think? How should faith communities respond when government policies clash with their values? Does religion have a role to play in debates over immigration and detention?
Where were all these people when President Obama was placing deportees in cages?
At the end of the day, it’s a detention facility, which is no different to a jail cell, but much larger, and is possibly more humane. Law and order is equally applicable to people who entered the United States illegally. This current administration is left picking up the pieces from the previous administration who let millions of illegal immigrants into the US without due process. As a result, many US citizens have been hurt, or injured, and in some cases killed, by illegal immigrants. We have enough of our own citizens committing crimes without letting more people in unchecked, and unworthy of legal citizenship.
We have an approved system for legal immigration here in the US, just like most other countries on earth do. That system is being heavily impacted by those who have entered the United States illegally. I feel more sorry for those who are genuinely waiting in line to legally enter the United States. I know it’s a long process because I have been through it with my family when we immigrated here, but it’s well worth the wait.
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