Venezuelan content creator Luis Frío, who died in the Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention center in Florida, US. Photo: Screenshot from one of Luis Frío's videos.
Luis Manuel Rivas Velásquez, a Venezuelan content creator known as “Luis Frío,” died in the Alligator Alcatraz detention center in Florida, United States, on August 5. His partner, Roxana Navas, reported on Wednesday, August 6, that his death was the result of “medical negligence” on the part of US authorities.
In a video shared on social media, Navas explained that Rivas Velásquez requested medical attention due to “fever, sores, and chest pain,” but it was not provided to him. She added that the content creator had already signed his self-deportation form to return to Venezuela.
“He signed his self-deportation, we just wanted him to get out of there, but they never let him out. They let him die and rot. He was not eating, he was not well, he had sores,” said Navas.
She also denounced the inhumane and deplorable conditions at the Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention center. Additionally, she requested help to transfer Rivas Velásquez’s remains to Venezuela and for justice. “He was the first Venezuelan to die in this prison. We demand justice,” Navas said in her message.
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Rivas Velásquez was denied medical attention
Ada Velásquez, the deceased’s sister, reported that her brother informed the Alligator Alcatraz authorities of his health conditions upon admission and requested medical attention several times, but “they did not listen to him.”
“All the detainees in Alligator Alcatraz are in a precarious situation. They are not given food or eat a frozen sandwich once a day. All the detainees have COVID-19, and they do not receive adequate medical care,” Ada Velásquez said.
According to the Miami-Dade County police, Luis Frío was arrested on July 17 for alleged domestic violence and robbery.
The Alligator Alcatraz detention center, which opened in July, has been subject to strong criticism for its inhumane conditions and the medical neglect for detainees. The Venezuelan migrant’s death raises concerns about the situation in immigrant detention centers throughout the US.
Clarification
An update on the case of Luis Rivas emerged when US-based far-right journalist Carla Angola reported on social media that she received an email from US Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirming Rivas is alive. According to McLaughlin’s email, Rivas collapsed and was transported to a hospital by staff as a precaution.
McLaughlin’s email further identified Rivas as an “undocumented criminal” with a criminal record, including an arrest for robbery in Miami. This disclosure from Homeland Security has shifted public discussion of the case, moving the emphasis from initial concerns about alleged medical negligence to Rivas’s immigration status and criminal history.
(RedRadioVE) by Milena Bravo
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
UPDATE (August 8, 7 p.m.): This piece has been updated to include the clarification provided by US Homeland Security.
