Despite claims by President Donald Trump and Florida officials that the newly opened detention facility in the Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz" would house "vicious" criminals, records reviewed by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times show that just one in every three detainees have a criminal conviction in the United States.
The records, which go over more than 700 detainees, show that over 250 individuals held at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport site have only immigration violations and no criminal charges or convictions. Ages range from 18 to 73, and most detainees are from Latin American countries including Guatemala, Mexico, and Cuba.
