President Donald Trump is drawing criticism and confusion after publicly celebrating the release of a Cuban immigrant from Florida's controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center, despite the facility having become one of the most visible symbols of his administration's immigration crackdown.
"Welcome home, Justo Betancourt," Trump wrote Sunday on Truth Social, praising Betancourt's daughter Arianne for having "fought very hard to free her father from Alligator Alcatraz" and telling the family to "enjoy your Freedom together!!!"
Betancourt, a 54-year-old Cuban immigrant who has lived in the United States for decades, was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on May 14 after a federal judge ruled he could not continue to be detained indefinitely while deportation efforts remained stalled.
The post surprised both Trump supporters and critics because the president has frequently attacked federal judges who issue rulings favorable to immigrants and has repeatedly defended aggressive immigration detention policies, as Forbes points out.
Betancourt had spent nearly seven months in ICE custody after being detained during a routine immigration check-in in October 2025. According to court documents, he was later transferred to the Everglades detention facility officially known as the South Florida Detention Facility, but widely referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz," which Trump inaugurated in 2025 alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Betancourt and his daughter, Arianne Betancourt had regularly described conditions inside the facility as abusive with the youngest saying her father was denied adequate medical care for diabetes, shackled for long periods and left physically weakened after suffering what the family believes was a stroke during detention, as Univision points out.
"He's not the same person he was before they took him in there," Arianne Betancourt told The Guardian.
The episode comes as Florida and federal officials debate the future of the infamous detention center. Recent reports suggested the facility could close because of operational costs and environmental risks, though Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said last month the administration still views the site as part of its "surge capacity" for immigration detention.
DeSantis, who had previously defended the facility, recently said of the rumors: "if we shut the lights out on it tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose."
