Families of men held at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in downtown Miami will gather outside the facility on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. for an emergency press conference. The families and local advocacy groups are calling on elected officials to launch an immediate investigation into what they describe as systemic abuse, unsafe living conditions, and targeted retaliation against individuals in federal custody. According to family members, detainees inside the facility are dealing with severe overcrowding, alleging that as many as 97 men have been packed into cells built to hold 50. They also report that detainees are being left without air conditioning during periods of extreme summer heat, with some forced to sleep in their underwear to cope. Other complaints include inadequate medical care, roach-infested meals, the use of pepper spray, and a lack of clean drinking water, which families say has forced some men to drink from cell toilets to stay hydrated. The decision to hold the press conference follows reports that detainees who previously spoke to the media about these conditions have faced immediate retaliation from correctional officers. Family members claim officers warned the men against speaking publicly and placed several of them in solitary confinement, including one detainee who was reportedly told he would remain in isolation for 30 days. Jail (Unsplash) “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. “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.” Advocates argue that the issues at the downtown facility are part of a broader, systemic pattern of enforcement and detention practices across South Florida. “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 of the 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.” Bilbao added a call for elected officials to demand access to the facilities and conduct independent investigations. Many of those currently held in the downtown Miami facility were recently transferred there following the closure of other regional holding centers, according to local organizers. “Dozens of immigrants previously held at Alligator Alcatraz are now being detained at the Federal Detention Facility in downtown Miami,” said Alexandra Orellana, South Florida Organizer with the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “They are being held without air conditioning, sleeping in their underwear because of the intense heat, and dealing with an infestation of cockroaches. Closing Alligator Alcatraz and merely shifting people previously held there into another nightmarish detention facility is unacceptable.” READ: The AI ‘Wild West’: Florida Sen. Rick Scott Aims To Protect K-12 Students From Chatbot Risks Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage. Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.