3 August 21-27, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ THE WHITE HOUSE NO JOKE TRUMP “BORDER CZAR” TOM HOMAN HATES ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ MONIKER. BY ALEX DELUCA S ince opening in July, Alligator Alca- traz — Florida’s immigration deten- tion site in the Everglades — has drawn plenty of criticism. Some say the now- official name trivializes prison conditions, while others have gone further, likening it to “Alligator Auschwitz.” But earlier this month, pushback came from an unexpected place: Trump’s own “Border Czar.” On August 13, while speaking to reporters outside the White House, Tom Homan, a longtime immigration law enforcement offi- cial now tasked with helping the Trump ad- ministration implement its massive deportation efforts, explained his dislike for immigration detention center nicknames like Alligator Alcatraz and the recently an- nounced Speedway Slammer in Indiana. “I don’t particularly like the names,” Homan said. “I mean, the men and women in [the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce- ment (ICE)], what they’re doing out there ev- ery day is dangerous, it’s serious. They’re doing it with dignity, honor, and respect, and I think sometimes those names take away from that.” He continued: “People get caught up in the names, and they think it becomes a joke. I don’t think what we’re doing is a joke.” Neither Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office nor Florida’s Division of Emergency Manage- ment (FDEM), which is currently running Alligator Alcatraz, responded to New Times’ request for comment. Since detainees first arrived at Alligator Alcatraz, formerly known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Center, they’ve re- ported inhumane and unsanitary conditions, including relentless swarms of giant mosqui- toes, extreme temperature swings, and inade- quate medical care at the remote site. Because immigration enforcement is typi- cally handled by the federal government, and Alligator Alcatraz is run by the state, detain- ees held there don’t appear in the usual ICE database. Immigration attorneys, who say they’ve had limited access to their clients, have described it as a “black hole.” Recently, two federal judges in Miami pressed the DeSantis and Trump administra- tions to answer a basic question: Who is actu- ally in charge there? On August 7, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered the state to stop construc- tion at the Everglades site for two weeks amid a legal battle over the potential environmen- tal impacts. Williams is expected to rule no later than August 21 on whether to temporar- ily shut the site down. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Trump’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan thinks the name “Alligator Alcatraz” makes immigration officials look like a “joke.” Flickr via Gage Skidmore ▼ TALLAHASSEE HOLD YOUR FIRE VETERANS URGE DESANTIS TO STOP EXECUTING VETERANS. BY ALEX DELUCA R epublican Gov. Ron DeSantis has long touted Florida as “the most veteran- friendly state” in the nation. Yet under his watch, the Sunshine State has executed five veterans. More than two dozen re- main on death row, and one of them — 67-year- old Kayle Bates — is set to be put to death on August 19, according to a letter from a group of veterans urging the governor to end executions of former service members. On August 13, a delegation of veterans gath- ered at the Challenger Learning Center in Talla- hassee to present the letter, signed by more than 130 vets representing “at least 1,400 years of service in nearly every branch of the U.S. Armed Services,” calling on DeSantis to halt the executions. “We can never be a veteran friendly state when our leader is signing off on their deaths at the hands of the State,” the letter reads. “We urge you now to lead from a place of bravery, to return to the honor code from your service, and to stop setting the executions of our fellow soldiers.” Florida has carried out nine executions so far this year — more than any other state and the most under any governor since the death pen- alty was reinstated in 1976. And the number is expected to continue rising. If Bates is executed on August 19, he will be the fourth veteran and tenth person executed in Florida this year, ac- cording to the letter. Another man, Curtis Windom, is scheduled to be killed the follow- ing week on August 28. In a high-profile case earlier this year, Florida executed Army combat veteran Jeffrey Hutchinson, who was reportedly left with severe mental health issues after serving in the Gulf War. His lawyers said he suffered from post- traumatic stress disorder and “paranoia related to his claim that he had been targeted by gov- ernment surveillance.” The veterans’ letter to DeSantis notes that the military instills a code of honor to “leave no one behind,” particularly mentally injured sol- diers, Marines, sailors, and airmen. “To execute a veteran who was broken by war and left without adequate care is not jus- tice,” the letter reads. “It is a failure of duty. It is the final abandonment.” It continues: “As an Iraq combat veteran yourself, we believe that you know what it means to serve. We all certainly do. We know what it means when no one comes for you after the fight. We know the discipline, the sacrifice, and the silent wounds that follow you home.” DeSantis has long trumpeted his military background. After graduating from Yale University and Har- vard Law School, he joined the U.S. Navy in 2004 and eventually worked his way up to lieutenant. In 2006, he was stationed at Joint Task Force Guantanamo as a young Navy lawyer and was deployed to Iraq the following year, where he was a “senior legal adviser to the SEAL who commanded Special Operations Task Force- West in Fallujah, Navy Capt. Dane Thorleifson,” according to the Miami Herald. DeSantis was honorably discharged from ac- tive duty in 2010 and served in the Naval Re- serves until 2019, when he was sworn in as Florida’s 46th governor. [email protected] DESANTIS HAS LONG TRUMPETED HIS MILITARY BACKGROUND. ▼ MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT COFFEE, TEA, OR PREFLIGHT SNOOZE? COMING THIS FALL TO MIA: PRIVATE NAP ROOMS. BY ALEX DELUCA G one are the days of slumping across seats at your airport gate or zonking out on a floor that may or may not be covered in unidentifiable bright green fluid. Miami International Airport (MIA) is fi- nally getting private nap rooms. Last year, Miami-Dade County commis- sioners approved a contract with the South Florida company Wait N’Rest to get two sleep centers — private rooms equipped with beds, Wi-Fi, noise-canceling tech, and power outlets — at the airport, which is cur- rently undergoing a $9 billion makeover. Wait N’Rest founder Duilio Sanguineti Hart tells New Times the company is scheduled to open its North Terminal (Con- course D) location by the end of Novem- ber, and the South Terminal (Concourse H) location will follow soon after. The rooms, available only to ticketed passengers, will cost between $30 and $60 per hour. “We’re incredibly excited to be launch- ing Wait N’Rest at Miami International Air- port,” Hart says. “As one of the most globally connected and culturally influen- tial airports in the U.S., MIA is the perfect place to introduce a new standard of rest, wellness, and privacy for travelers.” While the international hub already has a hotel, it doesn’t accept hourly room rentals. Under the project’s contract, one sleep center will be located on the third floor of the airport’s South Terminal, and the other on the third floor of the North Terminal. The centers will be equipped with a mini- lobby while the rooms will span about 34 square feet and have soundproof walls, beds or sofas with clean linens and pillows, air conditioning, charging ports, and Wi-Fi. The sleeping rooms also appear to have a self-check-in and check-out system, as well as temperature control. “We’re not just solving for layovers; we’re providing a more thoughtful, private alternative to overcrowded VIP lounges, designed around the real needs of modern travelers,” Hart says. Many airports nationwide have long of- fered sleep centers for weary travelers. Mi- ami is only now catching up. Wait N’ Rest, which touts itself as hav- ing “the world’s smartest sleeping rooms,” already has sleep centers at airports in Bo- gotá, Colombia and Lima, Peru. Hart says the company is expanding quickly and has plans to open new loca- tions at Toronto Pearson International Air- port and several other cities.
