Pedro Lorenzo Concepcion, a 44-year-old Cuban migrant, has been on hunger strike for eight years. days on a hunger strike inside the Alligator Alcatraz detention center, the maximum security prison in the middle of the Everglades swamps, Florida.

The man has lived in the United States since 2014 and, although he had managed to rebuild his life, he currently faces a battle for his freedom and his health.

It all began on July 8, when Pedro went to the ICE office in Miramar, as he did every month, accompanied by his wife, Daimarys Hernandez. He did not return home that morning. In a quick call from inside the building, he told him he had been arrested.

His arrest is linked to past convictions, when he was accused of guarding a house with marijuana plantations and of transporting people involved in credit card fraud. Although he complied with the legal consequences, he lost his residency.

Since then, ICE tried to deport him twice, but Cuba refused to accept him.

A cell without clocks, without doors, and under constant surveillance

After his arrest, Pedro was transferred to the controversial Alligator Alcatraz center. There, he was handcuffed and tied to the floor for more than ten hours. He currently shares a cell with 30 other men in conditions he describes as inhumane. "It's a very strict prison," he said.

According to La Nacion, the prison lights remain on all day, the bathrooms have no doors, and there is no notion of time. The food arrives cold, the showers lack privacy, and every movement is monitored by cameras.

The Cuban says that the most serious issue is the mental disorientation suffered by inmates due to the oppressive routine and lack of contact with the outside world.

Pedro declared a hunger strike on July 22. Since then, he has refused food, medical treatment, and any form of artificial hydration. "I felt like my life no longer belonged to me," he said. His message to ICE is clear: "It's up to them to decide whether I live or die." Pedro says he has suffered two fainting spells since he stopped eating. He feels extreme weakness, has constant heartburn, and dizziness. Even so, he insists on maintaining his protest. "I refuse to eat," he repeats as a slogan. "This fight is for my family, but also for all the Cubans who are like me," he affirmed. He is demanding not only a response to his case, but also a thorough review of the immigration system, which he says condemns people to an endless legal and human limbo.