OCHOPEE, Fla. — More than a hundred people gathered outside the Everglades Detention Center, also known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” Saturday for a milestone Mass hosted by Father Frank O’Laughlin.
The “Diamond Jubilee Mass” marked 60 years of his service and was a call for justice and dignity for immigrant communities.
O’Laughlin has long brought communities together through prayer. At the Mass, parishioners were asked to stand in solidarity with those detained.
“I was born here thank God, but my parents are immigrants and it could have been them I see our students, I see the community, I see the suffering, we have to stand up,” said Karla Hernandez, vice president of the American Federation of Teachers.
Teacher Hernandez became emotional witnessing the impact of ICE raids on South Florida families.
“They are scared for their kids. And because they are scared they don’t want them to be taken away from them they do that. We’re better than this,” she said.
Among those attending were children directly affected by detention. Angelica, whose father is currently held at Alligator Alcatraz, said, “They took him two days before I started school.”
The 14-year-old, who did not want to show her face, added, “I miss my father. It’s a cruel thing what they are doing to families and ripping them apart.”
Kathy, also 14 and with family inside the detention center, said, “I see kids suffering because they see their family gone. Their dads, moms, … and it hurts me.”
She added, “They treat them like a pet, like a dog and they don’t give them the attention they should; they should not be treated like animals.”
The Mass also highlighted cross-community support.
Betty Osceola, a member of the Miccosukee Tribe, comforted a stranger during the service.
“I could feel her sorrow and I wanted to take some of that sorrow from her,” she said. “When you see someone in that pain, isn’t it your responsibility to help however you can?”
Prayer ceremonies continue outside Alligator Alcatraz every Sunday at 5 p.m., as families, advocates, and faith leaders gather to call for compassion and justice.
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