What started out as a hopeful road trip for one family planning to leave the U.S. has turned into a legal and emotional nightmare.
Fernando Artese, a 63-year-old undocumented immigrant from Argentina, was detained during a stop in Jupiter, Florida—and is now being held at the controversial Alligator Alcatraz detention center.
His family says all they wanted was to leave the U.S. peacefully—but now they’re trapped in a system they say is both inhumane and unresponsive.
From Driving Violation to Detained Migrant
Fernando had been living in the United States for over ten years when, on July 3, he was pulled over for driving with a suspended license.
That minor charge triggered an immigration hold, leading to his transfer to the newly-built Alligator Alcatraz facility deep in the Florida Everglades.
His daughter, Carla Artese, 19, told the Miami New Times that their family had been preparing to leave the U.S. voluntarily and relocate to Argentina before eventually heading to Spain, where she was born and had plans to attend college.
“We Were Leaving Anyway”—Daughter Pleads for Release
According to Carla, the family had been saving up and mapping out their exit.
“We were going to drive across the country to California, then head through Mexico and on to Argentina before flying to Madrid,” she said.
But their plans fell apart just two days into the journey when police pulled them over in a wealthy part of Florida.
“They ran the plates and realized my dad didn’t have a license,” she explained.
That moment triggered a chain of events that would place Fernando in one of the most controversial detention centers in the country.
Inside Alligator Alcatraz—A Facility Surrounded by Swamp and Controversy
Fernando is now one of hundreds being held at the Alligator Alcatraz facility, a high-security detention center located about 37 miles from Miami.
It sits in the middle of a swamp surrounded by wildlife, including snakes and alligators, earning its ominous nickname.
Despite growing criticism from human rights groups and environmental organizations, the center was personally praised by President Donald Trump during his July 1 visit.
He described it as a model facility and hinted at plans to open similar centers in other states.
Harsh Conditions Described as “Hispanic Concentration Camp”
Fernando has shared disturbing details from inside the facility.
He says detainees suffer from extreme temperatures, mosquito infestations, and unsanitary conditions—including malfunctions that force them to handle human waste themselves.
He’s reportedly had just three showers since arriving.
“It’s like a Hispanic concentration camp,” he told his daughter, describing how mostly working-class immigrants are being held.
Yet, even under these circumstances, he says detainees try to maintain a sense of community and share meals like family.
A Self-Deportation Option That Vanished
Fernando says he’s been begging officials to let him self-deport, as the family had originally planned to leave voluntarily.
While the facility did announce on July 10 that detainees who wished to return home could line up to begin the process, nothing happened.
Officials reportedly disappeared, and Fernando says no further information has been given.
He holds Italian citizenship and says he would willingly go back to Italy if given the chance—but he’s received no guidance on how to make that happen.
Daughter Turns to Crowdfunding for Legal Help
Carla has now launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for an immigration attorney.
So far, she’s raised over $5,000 of the $10,000 goal.
“They haven’t even added him to the system,” she wrote on the page.
“He doesn’t appear anywhere. We just want a lawyer to help get him home.”
She added that her father has not been granted access to legal counsel, nor any official updates on his case.
“They treat them like criminals with no rights,” she said.
Trump and Officials Double Down on Detention Plans
Despite mounting backlash, Trump and Florida officials are doubling down on support for Alligator Alcatraz.
“We’re arresting the worst of the worst,” Trump said during his visit. “The only way out of here is deportation.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem joined Trump on the tour, inspecting the site’s chain-link bunk beds and tented compounds.
Noem later declared the facility would help the U.S. lock up “some of the worst scumbags” who entered under previous administrations.
Officials Deny Abuse Allegations Amid Legal and Environmental Challenges
Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, dismissed the abuse allegations as “completely false.”
She said detainees receive potable water, daily showers, and proper sanitation.
The facility, built to house over 3,000 people, is operating in full compliance, she claimed.
Still, environmental groups have filed lawsuits to halt the facility’s operations, and Democratic lawmakers like Rep.
Maxwell Frost have described it as nothing short of a “makeshift prison camp.”
A Family’s Plea for Humanity
For Carla and her family, the headlines and political statements don’t change the fact that her father is sitting in a swampy facility, trapped in a system they tried to avoid altogether.
“I always feared something like this would happen to my dad,” she said.
“And now it has—in the worst possible way.”
Their story is one of many emerging from the U.S.’s evolving immigration crackdown, where even those trying to leave on their own terms may still find themselves stuck, unheard, and behind fences.