A 63-year-old migrant being held at Florida‘s controversial Alligator Alcatraz has made a desperate plea to be released so he can self-deport.
Fernando Artese, 63, an undocumented immigrant from Argentina, was thrown into the notorious jail which has been plagued with accusations of deplorable conditions including overcrowding and food shortages.
ICE, which runs the facility, hit back at the claims of poor conditions as ‘fake news.’
Fernando, who had lived in the U.S. for more than a decade, was arrested on July 3 for driving with a suspended license and was later placed on an immigration hold.
His daughter, Carla Artese, 19, is pleading for his release while claiming that the entire family had been preparing to leave the country and settle in Argentina.
‘This year, we were trying to leave the USA, and ICE got him and sent him to Alligator Alcatraz, where they treat them like criminals and have no rights,‘ Carla explained.
She added that she and her family had been ‘saving up’ for the relocation.
‘The plan was to drive cross-country to California, pass through Mexico, visit family in Argentina, and then fly to Madrid,’ she told the Miami New Times, adding that she was born in Spain and had planned to start college there.
However, their ambitious plans drastically changed after her father was detained.
Fernando Artese, 63, an undocumented immigrant from Argentina, had been preparing to leave the country for good with his family when his plans were upended by a traffic stop in Jupiter, Florida
His daughter, Carla Artese, 19, said the family had been preparing to leave the country and settle in Argentina. Pictured: Fernando Artese with his daughter Carla
After the arrest, Fernando was placed on an immigration hold and transferred to the Alligator Alcatraz facility in the Florida Everglades (pictured)
‘On the second day of the trip, we were stopped in Jupiter, where were were passing by an area that was more of a rich area,’ Fernando’s daughter said.
‘He was driving, and when he was stopped, we actually stopped, we were talking to them, they run the plate – it was because my dad didn’t have a license.’
After the arrest, Fernando was placed on an immigration hold and transferred to the Alligator Alcatraz facility in the Florida Everglades – a newly constructed detention center that has garnered significant criticism for its alleged conditions.
‘Since I came here [the the United States], I’ve always had the fear of something happening to my dad, and I feel like my biggest fear happened,’ Carla said. ‘And I feel like my biggest fear happened, and in the worst situation it could have been.’
Fernando has since described the conditions at the facility as harsh and unsanitary, citing extreme temperature swings, mosquito infestations, and a lack of privacy.
He also reported that detainees had to handle human waste after toilets malfunctioned, the Miami New Times reported.
Fernando has also likened the site to a ‘concentration camp’ calling it a ‘Hispanic concentration camp’ full of mostly working-class immigrants.
‘My dad tells me, ‘We’re all like a family in there eating together,” Carla told the Miami New Times of her father’s experience in the camp.
‘It’s the Hispanic community,’ she added.
!['Since I came here [the the United States], I've always had the fear of something happening to my dad, and I feel like my biggest fear happened,' Carla said. 'And I feel like my biggest fear happened, and in the worst situation it could have been.' Pictured: Fernando Artese with his wife, Monica, and daughter Carla](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/07/16/00/100346935-14909085-image-m-15_1752621508053.jpg)
‘Since I came here [the the United States], I’ve always had the fear of something happening to my dad, and I feel like my biggest fear happened,’ Carla said. ‘And I feel like my biggest fear happened, and in the worst situation it could have been.’ Pictured: Fernando Artese with his wife, Monica, and daughter Carla
Fernando has since described the conditions at the facility as harsh and unsanitary, citing extreme temperature swings, mosquito infestations, and a lack of privacy. Pictured: Fernando Artese with his wife, Monica, and daughter Carla
The 63-year-old father-of-one added that he has had only three showers since arriving at the facility.
Fernando, who holds Italian citizenship, has made it clear that he wishes to return to Italy, but says he has not been provided with any information about how to proceed.
On July 10, he reported that officials at Alligator Alcatraz had made an announcement that detainees who wanted to self-deport should line up.
However, when detainees did so, officials disappeared without any explanation.
Carla, who has been desperately trying to assist her father, has since started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an immigration attorney.
The campaign has raised over $5,000 of its $10,000 goal, but Carla says more funds are needed to navigate the legal process.
‘They haven’t given him any information about his case or any right to an attorney. Not to mention, they haven’t added him to the system yet, so he doesn’t even appear like an inmate anywhere,’ she wrote on the fundraising page.
The 63-year-old father-of-one added that he has had only three showers since arriving at the facility, and detainees have faced a number of issues with the basic sanitation infrastructure. Pictured: Fernando Artese
Carla expressed concern over her father’s treatment and the lack of transparency in his case. ‘They treat them like criminals and have no rights,’ she said. Pictured: Fernando Artese sits with his wife Monica
President President Donald Trump Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem tour a migrant detention center, dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida
‘We want to get an attorney soon to guide us and help us through our situation to make it as quick as possible to see my dad again, and we need help to cover the expenses.’
Carla expressed concern over her father’s treatment and the lack of transparency in his case.
‘They treat them like criminals and have no rights,’ she said.
Still, Carla holds on to hope. She said that despite the uncertainty, her father remains committed to the YouTube project they had planned, called ‘Argentinomades.’
‘I know he’s still going to want to make that project,’ she says, ‘so I would love to make it and have people follow it so when he gets out, he can see that.’
Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Emergency Management, has since defended the new facility, claiming the allegations against the center are ‘completely false.’
‘Those allegations are completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,’ Hartman wrote in an email to the Miami New Times.
‘Detainees have access to potable water from on-site tanks refilled by 6,000-gallon trucks. Each individual is issued a personal cup they can refill at any time, and bottled water is provided at meals. Tanks are regularly sanitized, flushed, and tested to ensure water quality. Full-size showers are available daily with no restriction on bathing water
A general view at a temporary migrant detention center informally known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ on the day of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump
An arial view of a migrant detention center, dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ is seen located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida
All wastewater is hard-pumped into 22,000-gallon frac tanks, maintained below 50% capacity and pumped daily to minimize transfers. Tanks, hoses, and connections are fully contained to prevent spills and are regularly inspected to ensure zero environmental impact,’ the statement concluded.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management quickly constructed the controversial site, which officials have said will detain more than 3,000 people.
The Trump administration has also touted the facility as a place to hold the ‘worst of the worst’ criminals before removing them from the country.
‘Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration,’ U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem said in a June 30 press release.
