Worse than Animals

Trump at Alligator Alcatraz
Somewhere in Florida
July 1, 2025

 It seems that we have becoming desensitized to the inhumane treatment that undocumented immigrants and citizens are receiving at the hands of law enforcement and ICE. 

I read an article in The Guardian this morning which is more than concerning. In addition to the obvious inhumane treatment by law enforcement, I was concerned about the mention of a bounty and the cavalier suggestion that some of them may be killed in the process of arrest. 

Video footage of the incident captured by Laynez-Ambrosio, an 18-year-old US citizen, appears to show a group of officers in tactical gear working together to violently detain the three men*, two of whom are undocumented. They appear to use a stun gun on one man, put another in a chokehold and can be heard telling Laynez-Ambrosio: “You’ve got no rights here. You’re a migo, brother.” Afterward, agents can be heard bragging and making light of the arrests, calling the stun gun use “funny” and quipping: “You can smell that … $30,000 bonus.”

In the video, Laynez-Ambrosio can be heard repeatedly telling his friend, in Spanish, to not resist. “I wasn’t really worried about myself because I knew I was going to get out of the situation,” he said. “But I was worried about him. I could speak up for him but not fight back, because I would’ve made the situation worse.”

Laynez-Ambrosio can also be heard telling officers: “I was born and raised right here.” Still, he was pushed to the ground and says that an officer aimed a stun gun at him. He was subsequently arrested and held in a cell at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) station for six hours.

Audio in the video catches the unidentified officers debriefing and appearing to make light of the stun gun use. “You’re funny, bro,” one officer can be overheard saying to another, followed by laughter.

Another officer says, “They’re starting to resist more now,” to which an officer replies: “We’re going to end up shooting some of them.”

Later in the footage, the officers move on to general celebration – “Goddamn! Woo! Nice!” – and talk of the potential bonus they’ll be getting: “Just remember, you can smell that [inaudible] $30,000 bonus.”  (The Guardian)

Furthermore, the conditions where people are being detained are abhorrent. The administration has quickly moved to make the U.S. worse than authoritarian regimes. Responsible reporting on the conditions at Alligator Alcatraz continue to mention lack of water, food, protection from mosquitoes, and insufficient access to showers and sanitation facilities.

I believe the Humane Society would file charges against pet owners who did these things to their pets. Yet, we have become complicit with the inhumane treatment of those being prepared for deportation. I hate to remind us all, but everyone on U.S. soil has the rights granted in The Constitution, specifically, their 4th Amendment rights. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL