GLADES COUNTY, Fla. – A Central Florida immigration attorney said her client, who is a DACA recipient, has been transferred from Alligator Alcatraz to the Glades County Jail.
Josephine Arroyo said she was finally able to visit her client after he was transferred from the Alligator Alcatraz detention center to the Glades County Jail.
“We had a private, confidential conversation with him. He was very happy because he was finally able to see his family,” Arroyo said.
Before the transfer, Arroyo said she could not get in touch with her client despite sending emails and forms trying to secure a meeting.
“We would get generic responses saying we received your requests, we do not have a process in place. Thank you for your patience,” she said.
[WATCH: Alligator Alcatraz detainee unreachable, Orlando immigration attorney claims]
Arroyo’s client was detained at Alligator Alcatraz for 13 days. He told her that other people were also transferred, but it’s unknown how they decided who to move or their legal status.
“I have no idea,” Arroyo said. ”I did ask our client, though, if there was any other DACA recipients, and he said he was unaware, but that he was transported with other individuals who were here legally, who had work permits until 2029.”
Arroyo said her client has been in the United States since 2001 and has kept up with the requirements to keep his status.
As far as the next steps for her client are concerned, she said they have asked ICE to terminate the proceedings they have against him and to release him. She said this week they will begin drafting a petition for habeas corpus to be filed in federal court if they do not get a response and he is not released.
Arroyo said she has now retained a second client at Alligator Alcatraz, whom she said has a work permit.
[WATCH: President Trump, Gov. DeSantis hold rountable after touring ‘Alligator Alcatraz’]
The developments come as another complaint was filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida on July 16. The complaint addresses many of the same concerns Arroyo had, including the difficulty in contacting detainees.
According to Associated Press reporting, during a virtual hearing Monday, Nicholas Meros, an attorney representing Gov. Ron DeSantis, said the situation had evolved since the lawsuit was filed. He said videoconference rooms had been set up so detainees can talk to attorneys and in-person meetings between detainees and attorneys had started.
“I’m happy that they’re making that change. They should have done this at the very beginning because these are people’s lives, these are human beings, and they should be treated with dignity and respect and afforded all of the constitutional protections since inception,” Arroyo said.
News 6 reached out to agencies named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded, saying, “No lawbreakers in the history of human civilization have been treated better than illegal aliens in the United States, and yet all they do is complain.”
ICE also responded, saying, “ICE does not comment on pending litigation.”
News 6 is still waiting to hear back from the Division of Emergency Management and the governor’s office, which were also named in the lawsuit. Records requests have been sent to both to learn more about how Alligator Alcatraz operates.
To see the full complaint, see below.
gov.uscourts.flsd.693623.27.0 by Anthony Talcott on Scribd