Two Italian nationals are being held at a controversial Florida detention center for migrants, a facility surrounded by swamps and nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz”.
The presence of the two Italians — one a dual Italian-Argentine citizen and the other a Sicilian man recently released from jail — was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times, which published phone interviews with several inmates and relatives. The discovery has triggered concern from Italian diplomatic officials, who are now seeking access and information from U.S. immigration authorities.
One of the detainees is Fernando Eduardo Artese, 63, who holds both Italian and Argentine citizenship. According to court reports, Artese was arrested at the end of June while attempting to leave the United States and return to Argentina.
“This is a concentration camp. They treat us like criminals, it’s a quest for humiliation,” Artese said in a recorded phone call obtained by the newspaper. “We are all workers and people fighting for our families.”
Artese first entered the U.S. nearly a decade ago from Spain, using his Italian passport under the visa waiver program, which allows a 90-day stay. He reportedly overstayed and remained in the country without legal status. In 2018, his wife joined him on a student visa and their daughter, now 19, entered legally.
On June 25 he was reportedly stopped by police, who discovered a warrant for failing to appear at a court hearing in March related to a fine for driving without a license. His family says he missed the hearing because he feared being detained. He was transferred to ICE custody six days later and moved to the detention center in central Florida.
The second Italian detainee was identified as Gaetano Cateno Mirabella Costa, 45, born in Taormina, Sicily. He was arrested on Jan. 3, 2025, in Florida for possession of drugs without a prescription, assault, and battery against a person over the age of 65. After serving a six-month sentence at Marion County Jail, he was transferred to ICE custody for deportation and taken to the same detention center on July 9.
The facility is run by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division (ERO), but Italian officials say establishing direct communication with the center has been difficult. The Consulate General in Miami has contacted the State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions (OFM), which provided the contact information of the official overseeing deportations at the site.
Efforts are now underway to secure more reliable contact with the facility and obtain information about the status of both detainees.
The center, which has not been publicly identified by name, has faced mounting criticism over the past year from detainees and advocacy groups. Inmates interviewed by the Tampa Bay Times described unsanitary conditions, inadequate medical care, and what they called punitive treatment by staff. Artese and others likened the center to a prison, despite the fact that many held there — like him — have no criminal record beyond immigration violations.
U.S. immigration authorities have not commented on the allegations or confirmed the identities of those held inside. The Italian Foreign Ministry said it is monitoring the situation and working through diplomatic channels to ensure consular access and verify the wellbeing of both citizens.
