3 January 1–7, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ PALM BEACH This Is Us Palm Beach maitre d’ held at Alligator Alcatraz released. BY ALEX DELUCA, NAOMI FEINSTEIN T he longtime manager of a high- end Palm Beach restaurant has been released from immigration detention after spending nearly a week at the controversial Alliga- tor Alcatraz detention facility, located deep in the Everglades. Jose Gonzalez, a 53-year-old native of Mexico, has lived in the United States for 30 years — 20 of which he’s spent working at Bice Ristorante, an upscale Italian restaurant on Worth Avenue. Neighbors describe him as a beloved member of the community, regu- larly greeting and seating guests as the spot’s popular maitre d’. But on December 10, while out on a supply run for his nephew’s taco food truck, the two were pulled over by the Florida Highway Pa- trol, allegedly for having tinted windows. Gonzalez and his 22-year-old nephew were then turned over to immigration officials, Gonzalez’s attorney, Jeffrey Devore, previ- ously told New Times. Gonzalez was being held at the Everglades facility in conditions that Devore said make a “Motel 6 look good.” He said that Gonzalez’s family couldn’t un- derstand why he was detained and noted that Gonzalez never received a traffic citation for the tinted windows. “He’s got a pending application for asy- lum, and he has a valid work permit. There’s no criminal history or anything like that,” De- vore told New Times. “He’s just working, minding his own business. He doesn’t really fit within the profile that President Trump said that he was going to go after.” Gonzalez was released from immigration detention on December 22, according to the Palm Beach Post. He was transferred to Krome North Service Processing Center, widely known as Krome Detention Center, before being released three days before Christmas. His younger brother, Javier, cred- ited elected officials, the Palm Beach commu- nity, and members of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club for helping secure Gonzalez’s release. Nestor Iglesias, a spokesman for U.S. Cus- toms and Immigration Enforcement (ICE), told New Times that Gonzalez was taken into the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Pro- tection (CBP), not ICE. According to CBP, Gonzalez’s encounter with federal authori- ties began with a routine traffic stop. “On Dec. 10, Jose Heriberto Gonzalez- Gonzalez, a 53-year-old Mexican national, was encountered by Florida Highway Patrol during a vehicle stop for a traffic violation,” CBP spokesman Alan Regalado wrote to New Times in an emailed statement. “Gonzalez was subsequently found to be illegally pres- ent in the U.S. and was transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody at the West Palm Beach Station for removal proceedings.” Following his detainment, Devore said, Gonzalez was held at an immigration facility in Riviera Beach before he was transferred to the state-run Alligator Alcatraz on the eve- ning of December 13. “It’s not pleasant, that’s for sure,” he told New Times. “I think the policy of the Trump administration is obviously, shoot first, ask questions later, and then make things as mis- erable for people as possible, get them to give up so they just agree to leave.” The Palm Beach community rallied for Gonzalez’s release through a community vigil and petition. Maribel Alvarez, a Palm Beach publicist, described him as a “member” of her family and others in the community. “I can’t imagine this gentle soul being in Alligator Alcatraz,” Alvarez previously told the Palm Beach Post. “The conditions aren’t fit for animals. It is brutal torture.” In a Facebook post, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, who represents parts of Palm Beach County, called Gonzalez a “brother, uncle, business owner” and “cherished member of our Palm Beach County community for decades.” “Last week while out on a supply run for his restaurant, ICE detained Jose and his nephew. Jose is now being held in unspeakable condi- tions at so-called ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’” Frankel wrote. “This isn’t going after the ‘worst of the worst,’ this is terrorizing our neighbors to meet ICE’s detention quota. My team and I are working to find more information and free Jose from ICE’s unjust detention.” Frankel’s office didn’t respond to New Times’ request for comment. While Gonzalez’s nephew has reportedly agreed to return to Mexico, Devore filed a ha- beas corpus petition, a court order requiring authorities to bring an arrested person before a judge to decide whether they can be legally detained, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida last week on Gon- zalez’s behalf. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Jose Gonzalez, the longtime manager of the Bice restaurant in Palm Beach, has been released from immigrant detention. Bice photo via Facebook ▼ SUNSHINE STATE Everybody’s Doing It Manatee mating practices, explained. BY ALEX DELUCA I n Florida, manatees are best known as shy, gentle giants. But about once a year, the state’s beloved sea cows reveal an... erm...freakier side of themselves. You may have seen the videos: groups of massive manatees piled on top of one another, splashing, flapping, and rolling around in the water. While Florida’s manatees can mate year-round, these mating herds are usually spotted during the steamy summer months. Florida police have even had to remind people not to call 911 on the frisky scenes — and to give the mammals some space. “We get calls all the time from citizens when they see this, be- lieving the manatees are in distress,” the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office previously wrote on Facebook. “We can assure you they are more than fine.” So, what’s actually going on here? Let us explain. When a female manatee becomes fertile, she’s typically sur- rounded by a group of males who squirm around and shove each other while vying for a prime mating position. For the duration of this cycle (around three weeks), the female can mate with one or more males in what is known as a mating herd. According to the nonprofit group Save the Manatee Club, the effect can be “quite dramatic” in shallower waters, with “churning waters and flailing flukes and flippers.” “The activity can attract onlookers who are either curious about the commotion or concerned that the manatees in the es- trous herd are injured, stranded, or in distress,” the group says on its website. “This is natural behavior.” The nonprofit reminds people that “as with all encounters with wild manatees,” it’s essential to observe only from a respectful dis- tance (you know, the Golden Rule). Interfering with the mating herds could disrupt their natural behavior and jeopardize the reproductive cycle. And despite being known for their docile nature, the 1,000-pound creatures could also injure someone who dares to venture into the frothy mating waters. “They are very focused on mating with the female. The danger is if they start rolling and getting active,” Andy Garrett, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s manatee rescue co- ordinator, told New Times in 2023. “They may roll on top of you. They are obviously grabbing onto anything they can.” The Save the Manatee Club advises against approaching or touching a manatee herd if you happen to come across one. If you see someone bothering a mating herd of manatees, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission asks that you call 888-404-FWCC (3922) or your local wildlife agency. [email protected] While Florida’s manatees are best known as shy, gentle giants, they also have a freakier side. Here’s how they get down and dirty. Photo by Discover Corps/Flickr
