Miami Mayor-elect Eileen Higgins strongly criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies during a Wednesday interview on NewsNation. “Just stop it,” she told host Chris Cuomo. “It’s bad for our economy, it’s horrifying for our families, and we cannot proceed this way as a nation.”
The 61-year-old Democrat, set to take office following her Dec. 9 election win, specifically criticized the partnership between the federal government and the State of Florida to operate an immigrant detention facility in the Everglades.
The facility, referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, opened in June and was visited by President Trump shortly after its inauguration.
Detention Conditions Described as ‘Torture’
Ms. Higgins’s criticism follows serious allegations against the facility.
Last week, Amnesty International published a report documenting what the organization characterized as human rights violations, including, in some cases, acts of torture.
The investigation found that detainees live in “inhumane and unsanitary” conditions, including overflowing toilets with fecal matter in sleeping areas, limited access to showers, exposure to insects, and constant lighting.
The report details a punitive structure known as “the box,” a confined space about two feet square where detainees are shackled to the ground, sometimes for hours, exposed to the elements, and given little water. “These findings confirm a deliberate system built to punish, dehumanize, and hide the suffering of people in detention,” said Ana Piquer, Amnesty International’s regional director for the Americas.
As of Oct. 15, more than 6,700 men have been held at the facility.
NBC6 South Florida reports that only 22 percent had been convicted of offenses more serious than traffic violations, while over 40 percent faced pending criminal charges.
‘Housing, Not Cages’
During her NewsNation interview, the mayor-elect also reaffirmed her commitment to addressing Miami’s housing crisis. According to Payscale, the cost of living in Miami is 21 percent above the national average, with housing costs about 59 percent higher.
Ms. Higgins pledged to accelerate affordable housing construction, emphasizing a clear contrast with the current administration’s priorities. “I’m a loud, proud Democrat,” she said. “I’m now a member of the party that believes in building housing for people, rather than cages for them in the Everglades.”
A Historic Victory Against Trump’s Candidate
Ms. Higgins’s recent election marks a significant political shift for Miami.
A former Miami-Dade County commissioner, she is the first woman to lead Florida’s second-largest city and the first Democrat in nearly three decades. She defeated Republican Emilio González, who was endorsed by President Trump, with nearly 60 percent of the vote.
Throughout her campaign, Ms. Higgins made immigration a central issue, describing Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Miami as “cruel and inhumane.”
In a city where about 70 percent of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, her message resonated strongly. “We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populations,” she told The Associated Press after her victory. “The residents of Miami were ready to be done with that.”
The Democratic victory near Mar-a-Lago, where the president often spends weekends, sends a political signal less than a year before the midterm elections. It is part of a series of encouraging results for the Democratic Party since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, including a special election in Tennessee where Democrats significantly narrowed the margin in a traditionally Republican district.
Department of Homeland Security immigration operations continue in major cities nationwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Charlotte, N.C.
