Families of Detained Men to Hold Emergency Press Conference on Abuse and Retaliation at the Federal Detention Center in Downtown Miami

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 14, 2026

Media Contact: The TASC Group

Email: workerscircle@thetascgroup.com‬

Phone: 347-901-9352

Families of men detained at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Downtown Miami will hold an emergency press conference, organized by the Workers Circle, on Wednesday, July 15, at 2:00 p.m. outside of the facility to speak out against the abuse, retaliation, and inhumane conditions their loved ones say they are enduring inside.

They are calling on elected officials to exercise oversight and immediately investigate conditions inside the Federal Detention Center, end the retaliation against detainees who have spoken out, ensure access to humane living conditions and medical care, and protect the human rights and dignity of every person in federal custody.

Families say their loved ones report being denied access to adequate drinking water forcing some to drink from toilets, being packed 97 men into cells designed to hold 50, and being left without air conditioning during extreme heat. They also report roach infested meals, inadequate medical care, unsanitary living conditions, and the use of pepper spray against detainees.

After families shared their stories in the media to expose these conditions, which included direct testimony from the men inside, they say the men who spoke out were targeted for retaliation inside the detention facility. According to family members, correctional officers warned detainees that they could not speak publicly about conditions inside the facility and have since placed several of those men in solitary confinement. One family says their loved one was told he would remain in solitary confinement for 30 days simply for speaking to the press.

“Our loved ones are being punished for telling the truth,” said family members coming forward at the event. “No one should face retaliation for exposing inhumane treatment. We are demanding transparency, accountability, and immediate action to protect every person inside this facility.”

The press conference will feature family members, labor leaders, immigrant rights advocates, and community organizations calling for an immediate end to retaliation against detainees, independent oversight of conditions inside the Federal Detention Center, and accountability for those responsible for abuse and be available for questions. U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is unable to participate due to legislative business in Washington, will send a member of her district staff to brief press on her detention oversight efforts.

“For forty-seven weeks we organized freedom vigils that resulted in the permanent closure of Alligator Alcatraz detention camp. But our commitment didn’t end at the gates of Alligator Alcatraz,” said Arianne Betancourt, Community Catalyst at the Workers Circle, a national Jewish social justice organization working with families whose loved ones are detained and for an end to brutal ICE detentions and deportations. “The Workers Circle will continue tracking those transferred into ICE detention, standing alongside their families, amplifying their voices, and demanding dignity, accountability, and humanity for every person caught in this system. We will not stand idly by here or across the nation. We refuse to let them disappear into silence.”

"What is happening at the Downtown jail is not an isolated incident. It is part of the same pattern we have been documenting at the Miramar ICE Field Office, said Maria Bilbao from American Friends Service Committee. “People are being detained on their way to work, in their communities, or during immigration appointments and transferred to clandestine detention facilities where families and attorneys cannot obtain information about their loved ones. They are being held in overcrowded, inhumane conditions without independent oversight. We call on all elected officials to act immediately. They must demand access to these facilities, investigate the conditions, and ensure accountability. We cannot normalize fear as a tool of government. Human dignity, due process, and fundamental rights must be protected."

“Dozens of immigrants previously held at Alligator Alcatraz are now being detained at the Federal Detention Facility in downtown Miami. They are being held without air conditioning, sleeping in their underwear because of the intense heat, and dealing with an infestation of cockroaches,” said Alexandra Orellana, South Florida Organizer with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “Closing Alligator Alcatraz and merely shifting people previously held there into another nightmareish detention facility is unacceptable and a direct result of the incompetent and indiscriminate enforcement operations taking place right now under the Trump administration.”

WHAT: Emergency Press Conference: Families Speak Out Against Abuse and Retaliation at the Federal Detention Center in Miami

WHEN: Wednesday, July 15, 2:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: Outside the Federal Detention Center, Downtown Miami,  33 NE 4th Street, Miami, FL 33132

WHO: Family members whose loved ones are detained, as well as community advocates, attorneys, labor leaders, and supporters; a coalition of immigrant and human rights organizations, including the Workers Circle, American Friends Service Committee, Florida Immigrant Coalition and more.

About the Workers Circle

The Workers Circle is a national, secular Jewish social justice organization founded by Eastern European immigrants who fled pogroms and persecutions to seek democratic freedoms and build “a better and more beautiful world for all” at the turn of the 20th century. That history drives our work for human equality and robust democracy today. Our multigenerational activist community of 250,000+ people powers our strategic, non-partisan campaigns to empower voters, strengthen Constitutional rights, and build a durable, grassroots infrastructure to demand the multiracial democracy we need. Core campaigns of the Workers Circle include freedom vigils, talk to your sheriff, democracy circles, and voter empowerment.