From Alcatraz to El Paso — We Found Juan Antonio, But His Plea for Mercy Remains Unanswered

***Petition Update***
In late spring, a voice rose from deep within Florida’s remote detention outpost, the facility widely dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”¹ It was Juan Antonio Rivera Aguiriano, speaking out about the horrors he claims to have witnessed: people disappearing without trace.

To many who listened, Juan’s voice was an act of courage—revealing cruelty and injustice inside those walls. In the audio you can hear exhaustion, fear, desperation, and the unbearable weight of silence around him. He wasn’t just asking for mercy; he was warning the world about what he believed was happening inside.

Then his voice went silent.

His family feared he might be among the hundreds of detainees later reported missing or unaccounted for from that facility. Investigations by national outlets have found that the Alligator Alcatraz site is linked to claims of chaotic, unmonitored transfers and record-disappearances of detainees.²³

Now we know his location was confirmed, he was quietly transferred to the El Paso Service Processing Center in Texas, where he remains held. 

His master hearing, originally scheduled for October 29, has been postponed to December 10, despite his request to leave.

He has a medical condition that causes fatigue, dizziness and weakness. He reports inconsistent access to medical care and severely limited communication with his family, surviving on faith and on the kindness of others who help cover his phones calls.

On August 28, 2025 his wife and four children returned to Honduras with almost nothing, struggling to rebuild their lives. They are holding on to faith and waiting for the day they can welcome him home.

Because of your support and pressure, we’ve made real progress:

• The office of Veronica Escobar (Congresswoman) has acknowledged Juan’s case and confirmed that all proper steps are being followed. 
• Estrella de el Paso, a trusted non-profit immigration law group in Texas, has added Juan to its waiting list for legal representation.

Each person held in long-term immigration detention costs taxpayers approximately $165 per day (≈ $60,000 per year) in average adult bed-rates.⁴⁵ Multiply that by the hundreds of people who vanished from that Florida facility and you’re looking at millions of public dollars spent keeping people hidden instead of helping them return home safely. Not only is this inhumane, but also a heavy tax burden on our government.

When we fail to ask where people have gone, we pay not only in dollars but in the loss of humanity and truth.

If you would like to help Juan and his family through advocacy, awareness, or financial support, please reach out directly.

Email: luzdelibertad.tx@gmail.com

Sources
1. “First immigration detainees arrive at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida Everglades.” PBS NewsHour. PBS
2. “Alligator Alcatraz Detainees Reveal Chaotic Conditions.” Newsweek.
3. “Florida’s Secretive Immigration Detention Center, Explained.” ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union
4. “Fact Check: What is the average cost per day to detain an immigrant in ICE facilities as of 2025?" Factually
5. “Featured Issue: Immigration Detention and Alternatives to Detention.” AILA.

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Background
Juan Antonio Rivera Guiriano, a Honduran national and longtime resident of the United States, was detained in June 2025 in Panama City, Florida. His alleged offense was driving without a license, even though his vehicle was fully legal. Since the day of his arrest, Juan Antonio has disappeared from the ICE detainee locator. Family, friends, and immigrant rights organizations have been unable to confirm his location or legal status.

In a deeply disturbing audio recording obtained from within Cell #6 of the detention center where he was last known to be held, Juan Antonio makes a series of grave allegations. He states that detainees are physically mistreated, their food is taken and discarded, the lights are turned off repeatedly to create mental distress, and others are removed from their cells without any explanation. He clearly identifies himself, his cell, and the treatment endured, but still, he is not accounted for in the federal immigration system.

 
Why This Matters
This is a clear violation of both human rights and due process under U.S. and international law. Every person detained in the United States—regardless of immigration status—is entitled to humane treatment, legal counsel, and transparency. The disappearance of any person from the ICE system represents a dangerous precedent and a failure of institutional oversight. No individual should be held in secret, and no government should be allowed to erase people behind closed doors.

 
What We Demand
We call for the immediate disclosure of Juan Antonio Rivera Guiriano’s location and legal status. We demand that ICE and DHS:

Confirm the whereabouts of Juan Antonio Rivera Guiriano without delay.
Conduct an independent investigation into conditions at the detention center in Panama City, Florida.

Ensure Juan Antonio is granted access to legal representation and allowed to contact his family.

Review his case for eligibility for humanitarian parole or immediate release.
Implement greater oversight and transparency across all detention facilities nationwide.
 
How You Can Help
Sign this petition to stand with Juan Antonio and countless others who are suffering in silence. Share this petition across your networks. Contact your elected representatives and demand accountability from ICE. Use the hashtag #WhereIsJuanAntonio to amplify this case and ensure it is not forgotten.

Juan Antonio has not been charged with a violent crime. He has no record in the United States or Honduras. He simply wants to be heard—and not to disappear without a trace in a country that claims to stand for freedom and justice.

Help us bring him home. Help us bring transparency to a system that urgently needs it.