MIAMI SHORES, FLA. (WSVN) - Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Miami’s top Catholic, criticized the conditions at the Florida Everglades migrant detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” as more migrants are being taken to the center.
Speaking with 7News on Friday, Wenski said he’s been talking about immigration issues for decades and mass deportations envisioned by the Trump administration won’t solve the country’s problems.
“I’m taking a political stance? No, I think I’m taking a moral stance,” said Wenski. “I’ll say let’s make America great, but you’re not going to make America great by making America mean.”
He said he is concerned about the conditions the detainees are subjected to while in detention at “Alligator Alcatraz,” and called the quickly-built center alarming.
“It is housing people on a tarmac in the Everglades where we see 90-degree weather,” said Wenski.
The faith leader added that he also takes issue with treating all immigrants as dangerous criminals and the rhetoric around the facility, calling it intentionally provocative.
“When we see people making light of the sufferings of other people by making jokes about the pythons or alligators, it really is demeaning,” he said.
This week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis continued touting the detention center in an interview with Fox News.
“We did not create the Four Seasons. That’s not the intent of this. All the standards are a lot higher than what was even required,” said DeSantis.
But Wenski disagrees with the governor’s perspective. He said that nobody is asking for a 5-star hotel, rather better conditions for the migrants.
“Nobody expected a detention facility to be the Four Seasons. This place is very far removed from hospitals. It’s in the middle of nowhere. It’s not easily accessible for family members or attorneys to visit the detainees that might be their clients,” he said.
He called on Congress to find a solution for people who have been in the U.S. under temporary protected status or other programs and now suddenly find themselves without legal status.
“Mass deportation is not about criminals. To eliminate their status and tell them to go home, well some of these people have been here for decades and home is here,” said Wenski.
Several Florida state and federal lawmakers are set to tour the migrant center on Saturday. Wenski said he would also like to access the center to minister to detainees as he has done in other immigration facilities like the Krome Detention Center.
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