Cuban man, 52, describes contaminated water and raw food at Alligator Alcatraz, left homeless in Tapachula
Feb 2026 · Tapachula, Mexico, Cuba
Fermín, a 52-year-old Cuban man with type II diabetes, spent two months at the Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in Florida. He described conditions as 'inhumane': 'The water is contaminated, the food is raw. The water tasted like toilet water. I saw so many people get sick.' He said doctors did not provide meaningful treatment for his diabetes — 'If you're diabetic, they'll just give you smaller portions of food, that's the treatment.' US officials told him that if he didn't want to go to Mexico, he would be taken there by force. He was deported to Tapachula in February 2026, where he was homeless. 'For the most part, I don't sleep. I haven't slept in three days. I can't find water, I don't know where to get food. Nothing.'
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