In the rush to open a detention camp in the Florida Everglades for “some of the most vicious” migrants illegally in the country, state and federal officers detained a 15-year-old boy with no criminal record and sent him in handcuffs to Alligator Alcatraz, the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times have learned.

Gov. Ron DeSantis insists detainees at the controversial Alligator Alcatraz are treated fairly and even offered a free flight home. But after touring the facility themselves, Democrats on Capitol Hill want to shut Alligator Alcatraz down.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday rebuffed criticism of poor conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, the immigrant detention center, by saying people housed there have the option to self-deport instead. DeSantis said the U.