We sent a diplomatic note demanding that any Mexican be deported immediately, she said.

On Tuesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said her administration is working to ensure the immediate repatriation of 14 Mexican nationals being held at the “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center in Florida.

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“All necessary efforts are already underway to have them repatriated immediately,” Sheinbaum said, adding that she has sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. government urging that the 14 citizens be returned to Mexico “as soon as possible.”

Mexican consulates in the U.S. are investigating whether human rights violations have occurred inside the Alligator Alcatraz facility. If any violations are found, consular officials are instructed to follow established protocols to seek the immediate deportation of the detainees.

“The moment news broke about this detention center, we sent another diplomatic note demanding that any Mexican be deported immediately, so they don’t have to spend time in that facility,” Sheinbaum stressed.

Operational since early July, Alligator Alcatraz was built in just two weeks on the grounds of an abandoned airport west of Miami. U.S. authorities say it is designed to house up to 5,000 migrants as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration efforts.

The name “Alligator Alcatraz” refers to both the infamous prison in San Francisco — which the Republican leader has ordered to reopen soon — and the alligator-infested areas surrounding the new detention facility, which U.S. officials claim will reduce the risk of escape.

Sheinbaum has repeatedly denounced the criminalization of migrants and has urged that the root causes of migration be addressed instead.

Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, a total of 73,533 people have been deported to Mexico, including 67,008 Mexican nationals, according to a report from the federal government.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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