Sweet Land, Bitter Deal
In partnership with the American Friends Service Committee of Florida, ACLU of Florida, Detention Watch Network, Earthjustice, Freedom for Immigrants, Immigrant Action Alliance, and Seeds of Resistance, this project investigated the Glades County Detention Center, a hybrid county jail and federal migrant detention center, built in the Florida Everglades and surrounded by sugarcane plantations.
Our research found that routine exposure to airborne hazards inside the facility—antimicrobial chemical sprays, carbon monoxide, and pepper spray–routinely systematically restricted detained people’s ability to breathe. We argue that facilities like these are “black holes” disappearing and harming detained people and diverting public funds.
