'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees on hunger strike for 10th day, protesting conditions [View all]

Source: NBC News

Aug. 1, 2025, 4:45 PM EDT / Source: NBC Miami


A hunger strike at a South Florida immigration detention center state officials have named “Alligator Alcatraz” has entered its tenth day, as detainees protest what they call inhumane and dangerous living conditions.

One of the detainees, Pedro Hernández, was hospitalized during the strike but continues to refuse food. His wife, Daimarys Hernández, said she’s terrified for his health and fears he could die in custody, or be deported back to Cuba, alone. “My husband was in prison. We make mistakes, but we learn from them and fix things,” she told NBC6.

Pedro Hernández, who came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2006, was detained in July during a routine check-in with ICE in Miramar. He hasn’t been home since.

In a recorded phone call from inside the facility, he pleaded for help: “We’ve all been hungry since Tuesday. I’m not going to eat another plate of food until they show us respect," Hernández said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/alligator-alcatraz-hunger-strike-detainees-protest-conditions-rcna222554