'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees on hunger strike for 10th day

Detainees at South Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center, protesting "inhumane conditions," entered their 10th day of a hunger strike on August 1, 2025. Pedro Hernández, hospitalized yet refusing food, faces health risks or deportation to Cuba. “I’m not going to eat another plate of food until they show us respect,” he said.

Civil rights groups claim detainees lack legal counsel, a claim Florida denies. Democratic leaders, at a Coconut Grove town hall, decried substandard food, hygiene, and medical care, demanding reform. Environmental groups also sued over the Everglades facility’s conditions.