Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A lawyer says guards severely beat and pepper-sprayed detainees at a state-run immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in the Florida Everglades. A lawyer for two of the detainees says the beating happened after they complained about not having phone access on April 2. The lawyer says the guards taunted and then attacked the detainees. Guards punched one of her clients in the face and broke another detainee's wrist. Phone service was restored the next day without explanation. The allegations are detailed in a court filing accusing officials of not complying with a judge's order to provide proper phone access for legal calls.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are no longer present at the Southwest International Airport (RSW) as of Sunday, April 5, according to Steve Hennigan, executive director and CEO of the Lee County Port Authority. Hennigan updated members of the Chamber of Southwest Florida with this information on Wednesday's presentation to the group about airport developments.

No Kings III events in Southwest Florida make up some of the more than 3,100 rallies and related gatherings across the United States and other parts of the world planned to be held on Saturday.

A group of sheriffs on a state immigration enforcement board sharply criticized the federal government’s mass deportation efforts Monday, a stark departure from hardline policies in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has spearheaded collaboration with federal officials to remove all undocumented immigrants.

Florida initially sought $1.4 billion from the feds for Alligator Alcatraz.

As the federal government continues its efforts against illegal immigration, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports that nearly 1.9 million people have agreed to self-deport this past year.

After the Sarasota County School Board voted 3–2 to reaffirm its cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, uncertainty remains over how immigration enforcement would actually be carried out on school campuses. The resolution, approved despite hours of emotional public opposition, does not spell out what documentation agents would need to enter schools, whether judicial warrants would be required for non-public areas, or who would make those decisions.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant. This change reverses previous guidance and raises concerns about constitutional protections against illegal searches. The memo, signed by ICE's acting director, states that administrative warrants are sufficient for forced entry if there's a final order of removal. This policy could face legal challenges and criticism from advocacy groups. Whistleblower Aid, representing two government officials, describes the directive as seemingly unconstitutional and a significant shift in arrest powers. The Associated Press obtained the memo and whistleblower complaint from an official in Congress.

More than 60 people gathered outside the Everglades detention facility known as Alligator Alcatraz for their 21st freedom vigil. Organized by The Workers Circle, a Jewish social justice organization, the group prayed for those inside.

A federal judge in Florida wants civil rights attorneys and lawyers for the U.S. and Florida to hammer out a settlement in a lawsuit over whether detainees at an immigration center in the Everglades are getting adequate access to attorneys. At a Monday status hearing, U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell set a conference for Dec. 16-17 in her Fort Myers courtroom. The lawsuit filed by detainees over legal access is one of three federal cases challenging practices at the immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz." It was built this summer by the administration of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.