Our exclusive source exposes a scandal of retaliation, alleged cover‑up, and a looming closure at the controversial immigration detention facility.
By Nick Valencia | September 2, 2025
COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA— A third exclusive source inside the Dade–Collier Training & Transition site—better known as Alligator Alcatraz—has stepped forward, corroborating Friday’s assault on a corrections officer and alleging that the senior leaders falsified their account to state investigators to portray the attack as self‑defense.
The source, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, provided Nick Valencia News with a signed statement attributed to Assistant Warden Nicely. The document, which was reportedly submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) as part of their investigation—claims the assaulted officer threatened to kill the assistant warden, as well as Alligator Alcatraz Director Snider.
The letter goes on to claim the officer “pushed” Assistant Warden Nicely, and as a result was struck in the face in self-defense
According to our source, that was a lie.
“I couldn’t stand to see a good man’s name lied on,” the source said. "It didn’t go down the way they’re saying it did.”
What the Letter Says vs. What a Witness Says
According to the Assistant Warden Nicely letter dated August 29, 2025, Alligator Alcatraz Director Snider questioned the officer about an RV trailer assignment approved to accommodate sleep apnea and a CPAP machine.
The letter alleges the officer cursed, threatened to kill the director, pushed Assistant Warden Nicely, and continued issuing threats outside the office. Nicely wrote that CCTV corroborated his account and that materials were forwarded to FDLE and the State Attorney’s Office.
But as we first reported, the corrections officer who was assaulted said he was “lured” into an office where there is no camera, and punched in the face by the assistant warden. The third source who is corroborating the corrections officers account says Assistant Warden Nicely knowingly signed a false statement.
As we recently reported, the corrections officer gave a sworn statement to FDLE investigators and subsequently filed criminal charges after the incident.
We have sought comment from Critical Response Strategies (CRS)—the contractor in operational control at TNT—and from the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC), which maintains a leadership presence on site.
As of publication, neither has responded.
Inside the Culture: “These Are Not Troops”
Perhaps the most troubling were the interactions between leadership and detainees which were reportedly witnessed by our third source.
He recalled confronting the warden directly: “Sir, we can’t have [contractor staff] talking like that [to detainees],” he reportedly said. “These are your people.”
According to the source, the warden dismissed the concern, citing how a sergeant major ran troops in the Army.
“I said, ‘Yeah, but these are not troops, correct? Even special‑forces leaders don’t talk to their people like that.’”
Many detainees inside Alligator Alcatraz are not hardened criminals; some voluntarily turned themselves in and ended up there. Some run prominent businesses and own homes, the source said.
“You guys know which ones are bad and who’s good,” he said recounting his attempts to level with the warden about the verbal abuse. “But you don’t treat them all the same. You have to understand their backgrounds. At the end of the day, they are human.”
The source was particularly rattled by how some of the staff would “pick and chose who they wanted to pick on.” He too recalled an incident we recently reported on during which a detainee with suicidal ideations was encouraged to “just do it” by two guards who were escorting the man to be medically evaluated.
Separately, the sources allegations of verbal abuse towards detainees were corroborated by others we have spoken to within the facility in our previous reporting.
Orders to Empty TNT by September 11
Multiple sources with direct knowledge say staff were given a heads‑up to empty the facility by Thursday, September 11.
Transfers are already underway to the Baker County Detention Facility in Sanderson, Florida—a site expected to hold 1,300–1,500 people, according to the source.
Where detainees at TNT were previously held 12–14 days, they are now being moved within 2–4 days as the draw‑down accelerates, the source said. Baker County is more than six hours north of TNT; as detainees cycle out of the Everglades site, they are being rerouted there.
Alligator Alcatraz has been dogged by allegations of mismanagement, abusive supervision, and “psychological warfare” against detainees. The new corroborating witness does more than confirm an alleged assault; he alleges a post‑hoc paper trail was crafted to justify it.
As detainees are hurried north to Baker County, the fate of TNT may be sealed—but the issues laid bare will not disappear with its closure. What’s at stake is the credibility of the system itself, and whether those charged with enforcing the law are willing to abide by it.