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The daughter of a Cuban man detained at a controversial Everglades immigration facility is speaking out after Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz made an unannounced visit Thursday.
The visit is drawing renewed attention to allegations about the conditions inside the detention center, often referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz".
Wasserman Schultz entered the facility requesting access to three detainees she said had signed documents authorizing her to speak with them. According to the congresswoman, that request was denied.
"They refused to talk to me. They refused to answer any of my questions," she said. "I am a member of the US House of Representatives. We fund ICE's budget -- they can't refuse to talk to me".
Among those reacting to the visit is Arianne Betancourt, whose father, Justo Betancourt, has been detained at the facility on and off since October following an immigration appointment.
"Alligator Alcatraz is hell on earth. My father has been there for almost six months," she said. Although her father was not one of the detainees Wasserman Schultz sought to meet, Betancourt claims he is being held under unacceptable conditions. "It goes against all human rights standards," she said. "On top of that, they're displacing animals in the Everglades and contaminating the water".
Wasserman-Schultz criticized the lack of transparency at the Everglades detention center as their legal battle continues
After leaving the facility, Wasserman Schultz questioned how detainees are classified and who determines whether they are criminals. "This is a facility that should be shut down," she said. She also criticized the lack of transparency, stating: "This Everglades detention center is opaque and not transparent. The reasons for the inhumanity that is occurring here are not being adequately explained".
The visit comes as a legal battle over the detention center continues.
This week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit heard arguments related to a federal order seeking to shut down the site. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida argued the facility -- built on an airstrip in the Everglades -- required a federal environmental review that was never conducted.
Attorneys representing the state and federal government counter that the facility was built by the state and did not need to comply with those federal requirements. "They are not only affecting families and detainees,but also the ecosystem," Betancourt added.
CBS News Miami reached out to the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which operates the facility, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment. State officials have not yet responded. An ICE spokesperson acknowledged receiving the inquiry but said more time is needed to provide a response.