Florida
Florida migrant detention center subject of federal complaint
![Florida migrant detention center subject of federal complaint](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/baker-county-detention-center-ice-immigration-01-ht-llr-220802_1659478194694_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg)
A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee in Florida mentioned a bunch of officers threatened to take him to solitary confinement, then assaulted him, in keeping with a federal grievance filed by a number of immigration teams.
The allegation is a part of a 102-page grievance in opposition to the Baker County Detention Middle in Macclenny by a bunch of 15 present and former immigration detainees who allege a “sample of abuse.”
The grievance contains allegations that the guards threatened detainees with solitary confinement and retaliated in opposition to them once they filed inside complaints. One petition signed by 130 immigrants on the facility accuses officers of placing detainees in cells with out cameras to allow them to mistreat them.
Different allegations describe unsanitary situations attributable to insufficient clothes, underwear, bedding, and bathrooms. One incident described within the grievance alleges that 5 detainees have been positioned in a holding cell with “one rest room with no privateness, no sink for hand washing, no cleaning soap, no rest room paper, and no skill to social distance on the top of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
As well as, the grievance alleges that one officer at Baker County Detention Middle in Macclenny punched him and broke Eric Martinez’s nostril whereas he was restrained and one other positioned a spit guard over his face as he bled.
“I assumed I used to be going to move out,” Martinez advised ABC Information.
Martinez claims earlier than the alleged assault in January 2019, he had beforehand filed a grievance about officers not giving him time within the library to work on his immigration court docket case, his grievance mentioned.
The grievance in opposition to the detention middle, which is operated by the Baker County Sheriff’s Workplace and overseen by ICE alleges “officers rushed him and assaulted him” and one sergeant “punched him within the face with a closed fist, breaking his nostril.”
The guards positioned Martinez in solitary confinement for a number of weeks, the place he initiated a starvation strike to protest the situations, the grievance alleges.
In a disciplinary report of the incident involving Martinez, Baker County Sheriff’s Workplace accused Martinez of turning into combative with officers throughout a dispute over the TV quantity in a dorm and of unruly habits by detainees within the dorm. In accordance with that report, Martinez refused to let deputies restrain him, inflicting him to strike a wall at one level.
FILE PHOTO: A migrant who was beforehand detained will get off a van coming from Waco whereas U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) brokers wait for everybody to get down in order that their handcuffs could be eliminated to then be escorted to Mexico, in Laredo, Texas, U.S. June 15, 2022. Image taken June 15, 2022.
Veronica Cardenas/Reuters
Baker County Undersheriff Randy Crews advised ABC Information the allegations in opposition to the ability are “not true” and are “distortions.”
“I can emphatically say there isn’t any inmates or detainees at our facility being handled inhumanely,” he mentioned.
Crews additionally mentioned that not one of the 16 organizations that filed the grievance ever spoke to his workers concerning the allegations once they visited the ability and that he has by no means been advised by any inspector that detainees are being handled inhumanely.
A spokesperson for ICE advised ABC Information that the ability underwent an inspection in Might 2022, and obtained an “acceptable ranking.”
“ICE takes very critically the well being, security, and welfare of these in our care. ICE is dedicated to making sure the welfare of all these within the company’s custody, together with offering entry to essential and acceptable medical care,” the ICE spokesperson mentioned.
That inspection was carried out by a third-party contractor, the Nakamoto Group Inc., which mentioned there have been no “areas of concern” and that the ability met ICE requirements. The grievance claims the inspection was not correctly carried out and that it happened throughout a starvation strike.
“As a result of it was a pre-planned inspection, Baker workers have been in a position to choose detained individuals they thought would converse effectively of the jail, whereas others who had signed as much as converse with inspectors weren’t permitted to take action,” the grievance mentioned
![PHOTO: An undated aerial view shows the Baker County Detention Center in Macclenny, Fla.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/baker-county-detention-center-ice-immigration-01-ht-llr-220802_1659478194694_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg)
An undated aerial view exhibits the Baker County Detention Middle in Macclenny, Fla.
Google Maps
In 2019, a Division of Homeland Safety inspector common report discovered that residing situations at Baker and two different amenities throughout the nation “not solely violate ICE detention requirements, however, in some situations, might also pose a well being and security threat to detainees.” The report additionally said that detainees at 4 amenities, together with Baker County, “had difficulties resolving points by the grievance and communication system.”
The report mentioned ICE took corrective motion to repair the problems that have been discovered within the report.
“The issues they talked about have been actually horrific situations and abusive remedy. There have been some incidents detailed within the grievance that embrace racist harassment, extreme use of pressure, situations of bodily assault, together with the frequent use of pepper spray and bodily constraints,” Layla Razavi, co-executive director of Freedom For Immigrants, one of many teams that filed the grievance, advised ABC Information. “Additionally, retaliation and intimidation as punishment for people who find themselves inside and advocating for themselves.”
Andrea Jacoski, director of the Detention Program at People for Immigrant Justice, mentioned the allegations at Baker additionally mirror ones raised at a distinct facility in Florida. Her group joined the grievance relating to Baker and was additionally a part of a broader coalition that efficiently advocated for ICE to reduce its utilization of the Glades County Detention Middle after a number of migrants raised the alarm about allegations of abusive situations.
Jacoski advised ABC Information that some former detainees at Glades have been transferred to Baker, so that they already knew methods to advocate for themselves and stage starvation strikes. ABC Information spoke to Jacoski on July 28, per week after the grievance was filed, and he or she mentioned one detainee had already reported that
“One caller mentioned he was experiencing retaliation for reporting and speaking about ICE. He mentioned there have been three shakedowns within the final two weeks,” she mentioned.
Martinez had surgical procedure to restore his nostril earlier than he was deported to Colombia in October 2019. With the assistance of a lawyer, he continues to attempt to receive footage of what he says occurred on the detention middle. He mentioned the photographs will show that he was attacked.
“If I am a liar, the video will present that, however I am telling the reality and it’ll show my innocence,” he mentioned.
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Florida
My Safe Florida Home Program reopens: How to apply
![My Safe Florida Home Program reopens: How to apply](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox13news.com/www.fox13news.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1280/720/vlcsnap-2024-07-02-08h35m19s671.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
‘My Safe Florida Home’ sees backlog of registrants
Changes are being considered to the ‘My Safe Florida Home’ program, as the home insurance program faces a backlog of registrants and is starting to prioritize older homeowners.
TAMPA, Fla. – The My Safe Florida Home Program, helping cut property insurance costs for Floridians, reopened on Monday and will start offering grants again.
This program offers matching grants for Floridians of up to $10,000 to homeowners who shore up their homes with storm-protective upgrades like hurricane-safe doors or windows.
READ: Florida program aims to help ease sting of high property insurance premiums
Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 7028 into law in April to allocate $200 million to the My Safe Florida Home Program.
READ: New Florida laws going into effect on July 1: Here are some of the highlights
The bill also allows applicants under the program to still receive home inspections even if they’re not eligible for a grant.
First-time applicants must complete an initial wind-mitigation inspection to proceed to the grant application. That inspection will then provide homeowners with:
- The opportunity to share that report with their insurance carrier to make sure they’re receiving all possible discounts on the hurricane portion of their home insurance premium
- A roadmap to retrofitting their home with improvements to strengthen it against hurricanes
Existing users can access their portal account to see their Grant Group Category number.
My Safe Florida Home was established in 2006 and brought back in 2022.
To apply, click here.
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Florida
Central Florida Haiti organization watches as Beryl skirts past island nation
![Central Florida Haiti organization watches as Beryl skirts past island nation](https://res.cloudinary.com/graham-media-group/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/c_thumb,w_700/v1/media/anyclip/YIBpcZABQZTe_c4-OldK/1719889963241_1920x1080_thumbnail.jpg?_a=ATAPphC0)
A local organization said it is prepared to help bring supplies to Haiti if needed following Hurricane Beryl.
Maggie Saint Jean, who runs the Daily Bread Distribution Center in Central Florida, is urging the community to donate items to help both Haiti and local residents.
The organization also said it’s challenging to send supplies to Haiti, but they are determined to help.
“Just because it’s difficult, doesn’t mean people aren’t in need. We still have to make our efforts,” Saint Jean said.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Saint Jean said whether it’s gang violence or storm damage, their mission doesn’t change.
“The focus has to be the same,” Saint Jean said. Whether it’s one issue or five issues, it’s the people. Once you can see the people and their needs, then your focus doesn’t change. Things will come and things will go, but our focus will never change.”
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Florida
NASA Returns to the Beach: Bright Beaches in Florida
![NASA Returns to the Beach: Bright Beaches in Florida](https://eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/imagerecords/153000/153006/iss069e039255.jpg)
Since publishing NASA Earth Observatory Goes to the Beach in July 2017, we have explored even more of the planet’s coasts via satellite images and astronaut photographs. This week, we return to the beach with a look back at some of our favorite seaside stories published in recent years. The images and text on this page first appeared on November 19, 2023.
An astronaut aboard the International Space Station took this photograph of Destin, Florida, a beach city situated on the Gulf of Mexico coastline.
The city is built on a peninsula that separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Choctawhatchee Bay. Ship transport between the Gulf of Mexico and the bay is possible via the East Pass, while a bridge connects Destin to Santa Rosa Island. The thin white streaks seen in the water are wakes from boats.
Destin is part of Florida’s Emerald Coast, an area that spans about 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the Florida Panhandle. The beaches in this area are known for their “sugary white” sand and green-toned waters. The white sand is comprised primarily of quartz grains that were transported from the southern Appalachian Mountains by the Apalachicola River system. Sunlight interacting with algae in the water produces the emerald color.
Destin’s white sandy beaches, emerald waters, and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico make the town a popular tourist destination. Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection reports an estimated total of 4.5 million annual visitors to Florida’s Emerald Coast. Many tourists visit the area because Destin is a major fishing destination.
This peninsula was initially a barrier island. Over time, coastal processes including hurricanes, sand transport, and changing sea levels connected the peninsula to mainland Florida.
The astronaut used a high-focal-length lens to capture this shot. High-focal-length lenses make it possible for space station crew to take high-resolution photographs of the surface with handheld digital cameras while in a low Earth orbit of approximately 254 miles (400 kilometers).
Astronaut photograph ISS069-E-39255 was acquired on July 30, 2023, with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a focal length of 1150 millimeters. The image was provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations Facility and the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by a member of the Expedition 69 crew. It has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory as part of the ISS National Lab to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by Minna Adel Rubio, GeoControl Systems, JETS Contract at NASA-JSC.
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