Washington — When federal officials announced the opening of a new detention center in Florida for undocumented immigrants dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” they said its focus would be on rounding up individuals with a criminal record – people that President Trump and border czar Tom Homan have called “the worst of the worst.” However, many people who have been locked up at the Florida Everglades detention center do not have criminal records, CBS News has learned.
Some of Alligator Alcatraz’s detainees are “dreamers,” like Edgar, who is among more than half a million beneficiaries of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, the federal program that allowed undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to live and work in the country without fear of deportation.
Edgar arrived in the U.S. in 2001 when he was 13 years old, and today is the father of three U.S. citizens. In June, he was detained following a traffic stop and became one of the first detainees sent to “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“When he got arrested and he was taken there, I was actually worried for his life,” Edgar’s brother told CBS News.
As the Trump administration continues its immigration crackdown, the number of illegal crossings along the southern border last month reached a record low of about 4,600. At the same time, in June, there was a record-high number of migrants who were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — about 59,000.
Federal statistics obtained by CBS News in June showed nearly half — or 47% — of those detained by ICE lacked a criminal record, and fewer than 30% had been convicted of any crime.
ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan told CBS News on Tuesday that none of the people who have been detained at Alligator Alcatraz are there by accident.
“These are people who have committed a crime against the United States by entering this country illegally,” Sheahan said in an interview in Washington. Being undocumented is a civil violation of immigration law, not a criminal offense.
Immigration attorney Rachel Einbund told CBS News she is concerned about the precedent, asking, “Does this mean that every single dreamer is subject to deportation because [Department of Homeland Security] changed their mind?”
Edgar has since been transferred to another facility in Florida, and his family says they feel helpless.
“The fact that he’s being deprived of his freedom … that makes me feel like my hands are tied,” his mother said in Spanish.
In a video call with CBS News organized by his family, Edgar said the government made a mistake when they arrested him and sent him to “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“There’s actually people who is innocent, like me,” said Edgar, who asked that CBS News not use his real name or show his face.
He also said he had told arresting officers he was a DACA recipient and that his status was active.
“They (ICE) said DACA was canceled, that I would stand no chance in stay in the country,” he said.
Edgar and his lawyer told CBS News that they do not know why he’s being detained. When asked why he thinks he’s still in a detention facility, Edgar said he believes “it’s like a torture and try to try to make you deport yourself.”
Of the estimated 100,000 people who were deported earlier this year, 70,583 were convicted criminals, according to another ICE document obtained by CBS News last month. Most of the documented infractions were for traffic or immigration offenses. It’s unclear how many of them were part of the DACA program.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CBS News that undocumented immigrants who say they’re beneficiaries of DACA are not automatically protected from deportation.
“DACA does not confer any form of legal status in this country,” McLaughlin said. “Any illegal alien who is a DACA recipient may be subject to arrest and deportation for a number of reasons including if they’ve committed a crime.”
CBS News reviewed Edgar’s record and found he is not facing criminal charges.
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