A South Florida man who spent months at the Everglades detention site nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz" says federal immigration officials have now told him to arrange his own exit from the United States. Maikel Rojas, a 45-year-old Cuban national, says he was handed paperwork instructing him to leave by early August, get a passport and purchase a one-way plane ticket home. His wife, Roxi Torres, says the family, which includes a 15-month-old child, is living in constant fear that ICE could show up and detain him again. The order landed after Rojas spent nearly five months in immigration custody and was released this spring with an ankle monitor.
Paper trail and family fears
Rojas displayed a document titled "Plan of Action for Removal" that instructs him to "prepare to leave the United States no later than August 4, 2026," according to CBS News Miami. The paperwork also directs him to obtain a Cuban passport and buy a one-way airline ticket, leaving the family scrambling to understand how they are supposed to comply. An immigration attorney quoted in that reporting warned that the case illustrates the limits faced by immigrants with serious criminal convictions, saying, "In truth, his opportunity to live here has run out."
What critics say about Alligator Alcatraz
The Everglades detention site has drawn intense scrutiny, with national reporting describing problems such as flooded tents, limited potable water and strained sanitation, as well as accounts from former staff and detainees about restricted access to lawyers and visitors. As reported by The Washington Post, those conditions have helped fuel lawsuits and a wave of public concern. Local coverage has also tracked protests and court actions aimed at limiting expansion of the facility at the Dade-Collier airstrip in Ochopee.
Released into ISAP and fitted with an ankle monitor
ICE released Rojas in March and enrolled him in an alternatives-to-detention supervision program, fitting him with an ankle monitor, according to local reporting. The Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, known as ISAP, combines case management with electronic monitoring and app- or device-based check-ins to supervise people released from custody, according to an overview by the American Immigration Council. CBS News Miami also reports that federal officials delivered the removal instructions through ISAP paperwork and that ICE has been returning Cuban nationals on repatriation flights in recent months.
Legal stakes for people with old convictions
Under federal immigration law, many criminal convictions can be grounds for removal, and reforms passed in 1996 expanded the categories that can make someone deportable, according to a Congressional Research Service overview. Convictions classified as aggravated felonies, along with certain crimes that carry the possibility of a one-year sentence, can cut off eligibility for some forms of relief and make voluntary departure or other options far less likely. Attorneys say decades-old convictions can still trigger removal even after long periods of residence in the United States.
What comes next for Rojas and others
Rojas and his wife say they are seeking legal help while trying to figure out how to obtain a passport and meet the removal timetable if they ultimately have no other choice. Immigration advocates and lawyers point to the case as a stark example of how expanded detention, supervision and deportation practices are playing out inside South Florida families with deep community ties.
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