Recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA) have been sent to the Florida detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" despite the Trump administration's vow to only send the "worst of the worst" there. Many don't have criminal records either.
Relatives of DACA recipients recently described to CBS News the ordeal they have gone through while in detention. The brother of a DACA recipient identified as Edgar, who arrived in 2001 and is now the father of three U.S. citizens, was detained in June at a traffic stop and later sent to the detention center.
"When he got arrested and he was taken there, I was actually worried for his life," Edgar's brother said. He has been taken to another facility in the state, but his mother added that they feel like their "hands are tied."
Edgar, on his end, said he is "innocent" and many others held in detention center are in the same situation as him. "They (ICE) said DACA was canceled, that I would stand no chance in stay in the country," he added.
Overall, close to half (47%) of all migrants sent to the detention center don't have criminal records, data obtained by the outlet showed. Moreover, fewer than 30% were convicted of any crime.
ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan, on her end, told the outlet that all those detained "are people who have committed a crime against the United States by entering this country illegally." Being undocumented is a civil violation, however, not a criminal offense.
Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin, on her end, said the 47% figure is untrue, claiming in mid July that "media continues to peddle this FALSE narrative that ICE is not targeting criminal illegal aliens."
"The official data tells the true story: 70% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. Additionally, many illegal aliens categorized as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and more — they just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S. This deceptive 'non-criminal' categorization is devoid of reality and misleads the American public," she added.
Another report showed that arrests conducted by ICE of people without criminal charges or convictions have surged in Florida.
Axios Miami noted that such detentions comprised 36% of the total in ICE's Miami Field Office region, which covers Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The figure compares to 24% in May and 21% in April.
ICE has been ramping enforcement operations over the past weeks, recently being directed to detain migrants who entered the country illegally without offering them bond hearings.
The policy, issued by acting ICE director Todd M. Lyons, instructs officers to detain these immigrants "for the duration of their removal proceedings," which can last months or years. Previously, many immigrants residing in the U.S. interior could request a bond hearing before an immigration judge.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
