An installation at the Scope Art Show in Miami presented by the human rights organisation Amnesty International highlights alleged “government-sanctioned abuses” at the notorious migrant-detention facility in the Everglades nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz.
Works by the artists Agua Dulce Gloriosa and Clarence James form part of the Scope project, known as Cruelty Is Their Point—But Another World is Possible, which “invites fairgoers to reflect, respond and enact change through signing a petition that demands the closure of Alligator Alcatraz”, Amnesty says.
Cheryl Johnson, Amnesty International USA’s arts and creative partnerships associate, says that through this collaboration, the artists and Amnesty are encouraging communities to “learn more, take action and join in calling for the closure of Alligator Alcatraz”.
Miami-based Dulce Gloriosa is showing Untitled (a hope is but a dream is but a plan yet put to action) (2025). The work, an altar surrounded by flowers, fruit, candles and mirrors, is “a love poem to the folks who are detained”, the artist tells The Art Newspaper. “It’s a statement of solidarity among more consumerist art-fair experiences, a prayer for those with the privilege of US citizenship to take action. And a firm grounding that those seen as easily discarded by our administration and society will not be forgotten.”
Street artist James’s work, titled Cruelty is The Point (2025), is a collage of newspaper clippings, archival photographs and posters. He also invites visitors to take a zip-tie and attach it to a fence depicted in the work. “These elements collapse time, exposing how cruelty repeats itself through the centuries under new names and new uniforms, but a better future is possible,” James said in a statement. The works are not for sale.
Amnesty alleges in a statement posted on the Scope stand: “Since opening in July 2025, there has been systematic denial of due process as a result of the [Alligator Alcatraz] facility not being served by any immigration court, people detained inside being ‘disappeared’ and entirely untraceable, and firewalls against attorney access.
“Reports of unsanitary conditions have surfaced: swarms of mosquitoes, maggot-infested food, sweltering heat, lack of medical care or basic hygiene, such as working showers and toilets. These horrendous conditions are government-sanctioned abuses and they’re being funded with Floridians’ taxpayer dollars.”
Florida officials announced plans for the detention facility at the remote Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, located inside the Big Cypress National Preserve, in late June and moved quickly to open it on 3 July. The complex is the first federal immigration jail to be run by a state agency; Florida’s Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) operates it in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security. The FDEM was contacted for comment about the Scope project.
Amnesty also published a report on 4 December stating that migrants held at the state-run Everglades facility, and at Miami’s Krome detention centre, continue to be exposed to “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment”.
Molly Best, the press secretary to Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, told The Guardian: “None of these fabrications are true. In fact, running these allegations without any evidence whatsoever could jeopardise the safety and security of our staff and those being housed at Alligator Alcatraz.”
