‘Treated like animals’: two Italians detained in the Alligator Alcatraz migrant centre

Gaetano Mirabella Costa and Fernando Artese describe conditions in the notorious ICE centre wanted by Trump. Appeals from families: ‘Free them’

‘We are caged like chickens, 32 people per cell, three outdoor toilets, everyone can see you. It’s a nightmare.’ This is how Gaetano Mirabella Costa, 45, a Sicilian who has been living in Florida for ten years, described to Tg2 the conditions in which he is detained at the Alligator Alcatraz migrant centre, a facility run by the federal agency ICE, established during the Trump administration.

The man claims he does not know what crime he is accused of: ‘I have not spoken to a judge or a lawyer.’ His mother, in Italy, reports: ‘They handcuffed his hands and feet, like a dog.’

With him is Fernando Artese, 63, an Italian-Argentinian citizen. According to his wife’s report to the Argentinian newspaper La Nacion, the man was stopped on 3 July for a traffic violation in Jupiter while trying to return to Argentina by car. A check revealed that his residence permit was irregular, and for this reason he was transferred to the federal detention centre.

The families are asking for clarification and intervention from the Italian and Argentine authorities to obtain legal and consular assistance for the two compatriots, while protests over conditions in ICE centres are reigniting.

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