Leamsy La Figura Details Inhumane Conditions at ICE Detention Facility Alligator Alcatraz
The Cuban reggaeton artist also says there is no water to bathe at the Florida detention center.
Published July 9 2025, 3:16 p.m. ET
Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura was arrested and sent to the ICE detention facility, Alligator Alcatraz, in Ochopee, Fla., and the musician described the conditions at the facility as unsanitary.
The "Dile a tu Jevito" singer spoke about the inhumane conditions during a telephone call, per CBS News. Leamsy said that there was no water for the detainees to bathe, and he claimed that he'd not been able to shower for four days.
Leamsy La Figura is being held at Alligator Alcatraz.
Leamsy gave details about the conditions at Alligator Alcatraz during a phone call several days after his arrival at the new immigration detention facility. He claimed there was no water for baths and that detainees were only fed once per day, adding that there were maggots in the food.
"I am Leamsy La Figura. We've been here at Alcatraz since Friday," he said. "There's over 400 people here. There's no water to take a bath, it's been four days since I've taken a bath," he added. "They only brought a meal once a day, and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants."
Why is Leamsy La Figura in ICE custody?
Leamsy was arrested on July 2 and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and simple assault after an argument with a co-worker. He was originally taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, despite being a permanent resident of the United States, per NBC News. The recording artist was taken to Alligator Alcatraz the following day.
Officials denied the accusations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz. The director of communications for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Stephanie Hartman, said the accusations were "false."
"The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false," she said. "The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order.
Another detainee at the facility said the horrible treatment was a "form of torture," and that many detainees had residency documents permitting them to be in the United States.
"They're not respecting our human rights," he said. "We're human beings. We're not dogs. We're like rats in an experiment. I don't know their motive for doing this, if it's a form of torture. A lot of us have our residency documents and we don't understand why we're here," he added.
A Colombian man said that he was being denied medical treatment at Alligator Alcatraz.
"I'm on the edge of losing my mind," he said. "I've gone three days without taking my medicine. It's impossible to sleep with this white light that's on all day."
The man added that the guards also took away his bible. "They took the Bible I had, and they said here there is no right to religion. And my Bible is the one thing that keeps my faith, and now I'm losing my faith."
According to The Palm Beach Post, Alligator Alcatraz is the official name of the immigration detention center, which opened on July 1. U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost (D-Orlando) called the facility an "internment camp," and others on social media labeled the detention center "Alligator Auschwitz."