OCHOPEE, Fla. (WSVN) — Mosquitoes at the facility in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” have created a cause for concern, as health experts say the immigration detention center could become a breeding ground for serious diseases that could impact detainees and state workers.
Florida State Rep. Anna Eskamani didn’t learn much about what’s happening inside the detention center on Thursday, when she and other Democratic state lawmakers were blocked by officials from entering over safety concerns.
Mike Jachles, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, spoke with the lawmakers. He tried to give them contact information for someone they could reach to discuss the matter.
“You can call him and email him now,” said Jachles.
“No,” said Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon.
“I will give you his number. I’m just relaying the message to try to accommodate you,” said Jachles.
Eskamani, who represents Florida’s District 42, said something outside stuck out.
“The second you open up your car, your car is infested with mosquitoes,” she said.
Despite wearing a mosquito net, Eskamani said, she was bitten dozens of times. Now she wonders what it will mean for detainees being held in tents, who have to walk outside to bathrooms and showers.
The lawmaker is also concerned that storms could compromise the tents.
“For those who are working in that environment and living in that environment, it is not built for human engagement, especially not for long periods of time,” she said.
Dr. Durland Fish, an epidemiologist at Yale University, studies mosquitoes in the Everglades.
“‘It’s mosquito heaven,” he said.
Seven mosquito-borne viruses circulate there, including West Nile, encephalitis and Everglades virus.
If these diseases hit non-native people who don’t have antibodies built up, Fish said, they can cause neurological conditions.
“These diseases are untreatable, and there’s no vaccine for them,” he said.
The concern comes as Democrats and advocacy groups demand transparency around “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“It is owed to Floridians to know exactly what is happening right there in the heart of South Florida,” said Tessa Pettit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
It also comes as construction for a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Starke, near Jacksonville, is set to begin as early as this week.
Plans for a facility at Camp Blanding date back to mid-May.
A document sent to the Department of Homeland Security by the Florida Division of Emergency Management identifies this National Guard base as a potential home for a detention center.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week a facility there would likely be easier to open than “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“Blanding actually has buildings and facilities that we can repurpose for this,” he said.
An airfield on the base and nearby Naval Air Station Cecil Field provide options for direct deportation flights.
However, the document details several areas that would need improvements. It states the existing dining facility would likely not meet federal standards. In addition, a behavioral health facility, showers, bathrooms and facilities capable of supporting detainees with disabilities would be needed.
Those facilities may also have to be temporary, as a DHS court filing notes new, permanent structures aren’t eligible for federal reimbursement.
The lawmakers who were blocked from entering the Everglades facility said they will continue to pursue legal remedies until full transparency is achieved.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.