Cuban detainee released after six months, suffers lasting health effects
Oct 29, 2025·Location: Miami, FL
Country of origin: Cuba
DetainmentDetention ConditionsHabeas PetitionICE/USCIS OfficeInjury/IllnessMedical NeglectIn DetentionFlorida
Justo Betancourt, detained by ICE for six months starting October 2025, was released in May 2026 after a federal judge granted his habeas corpus petition. He lost 22 kilograms during detention, suffered strokes and a diabetic coma due to withheld insulin, and experienced neurological damage including tremors and mobility impairment. A federal judge found his arrest wrongful.
Sources
- Trump welcomes release of Alligator Alcatraz detainee Justo Betancourt
Newsweek·Jun 1, 2026·archived copy
- CBS News
- Cuban is released after six months in Alligator Alcatraz: "They chained him for up to 23 hours a day."
en.cibercuba.com·May 16, 2026·archived copy
- ‘It feels like a mockery’: Justo Betancourt, a former detainee at Alligator Alcatraz who received a congratulations note from Trump
english.elpais.com·Jun 4, 2026·archived copy
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