Two brothers, originally from Mexico, were detained and taken to Alligator Alcatraz following a traffic stop in Central Florida. Their father is speaking out, pleading to officials to help get them back home.
According to their father, 26-year-old Carlos Martin Gonzalez and his brother were on vacation in Orlando when he was pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol on Wednesday. According to the arrest affidavit, Gonzalez’s car was pulled over due to having tinted windows and a Mexican license plate. The trooper ran the license plate and found the car had no valid registration in the United States or in Mexico.
When confronted, Carlos told the trooper that his brother, 31-year-old Oscar Alejandro Gonzalez, had the registration documents. Although arriving with the car title, FHP says it had neither of the brothers’ names on it. Carlos was arrested and transported to Orange County Jail. After three days, the brothers were transferred to Alligator Alcatraz. The brothers say they are scared and desperate to get back to their country.
Their father arrived in Orlando from Mexico City, speaking out against the new developments. He says the facility is a closed space with artificial lights on 24 hours a day, ensuring the detainees do not know the time.
“They are both in Alligator Alcatraz, but they are not together,” he said. “They are in something like cages. They’re like chicken coops. That’s what they’re telling me, so one is in one, and the other is in another. I think there are 36 people, or something like that, or more, per cage. This is a very harsh prison. Very harsh It’s not a prison; it’s a detention center. It’s very difficult to be there. You’re not allowed to bathe, only every four days. The water given to drink is dirty. You drink as little as possible so they don’t get sick, while there are a lot of mosquitoes. They have them chained to the floor, hands and feet.”
Carlos had reportedly been in the country for three months, visiting his brother in Orlando after their mother had recently passed. According to his father, he had a tourist visa and plane ticket for a flight back to Mexico on July 15th.
Oscar came to the United States with his wife, who is a US citizen, eight months ago. Although he was originally on a tourist visa, his father said he was working to obtain a green card.
The brothers’ detainment has since become an international incident, with the Mexican consulate of Coral Gables issuing a warning towards its citizens to be wary of Orlando.
“We don’t want to say, ‘Don’t come to Florida. We love Disney. But there are just some warnings that if you want to come to Orlando, be safe and put in your pocket your driver’s license or your visa. This is a difficult time for us,” said Juan Sabines Guerrero.
Mexico’s president, additionally, has demanded they be returned home immediately.
“Yes, 14 Mexican nationals are in detention, and all the necessary steps are being taken so they can be repatriated immediately,” said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. “A diplomatic note has been sent, and from the Mexican Embassy in the United States and the consulates, it is being insisted that they be returned to Mexico as soon as possible.”
Arrests for minor traffic infractions are how many migrants from Central Florida end up in detainment as part of the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown. Federal immigration officials have deported roughly 150,000 people since President Trump took office in January, according to the latest report released by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. The figures indicate that the agency could deport 300,000 people in Trump’s first year back in office, the highest number of deportations since the Obama administration.
This, however, is far short of Trump’s target of 1 million deportations every year.
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