Following reports of overcrowding and “inhumane” treatment at the Krome Detention Center, Miami-Dade Democrats are demanding that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant them a tour of the facility so they can witness the conditions firsthand.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava penned letters to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem requesting visits to the Homestead-based center, which immigrant women detained there have reportedly described as “Hell on Earth.”

They complained, among other things, of being crammed into cells, denied the ability to regularly bathe, forced to sleep on concrete floors and chained for hours without food, water or bathroom access.

In her Monday letter, Wilson referenced a March 30 report by the Miami Herald about protests outside the detention center last month, following news of deteriorating conditions and the deaths of two detainees.

Wilson said she had also heard “directly from immigration lawyers about the unacceptable conditions at Krome,” including the aforementioned indignities and “female detainees being held in a facility designated for men.”

“These alarming accounts illustrate the urgent need for me to exercise my duty of congressional oversight and intervention,” she said.

Wilson cited Article 1 of the Constitution, which she said grants federal lawmakers authority to access federal facilities to verify compliance with federal laws and policies.

She also cited the Supreme Court’s Watkins v. United States decision, which in part said Congress’ “broad” investigative power “is inherent in the legislative process” and “encompasses inquiries concerning the administration of existing laws as well as proposed or possibly needed statutes.”

“It is imperative that Congress gains firsthand insight into the facility’s operations to address these serious concerns and ensure that the rights and dignities of individuals in detention are upheld,” Wilson said. “I fully support lawful detention and the enforcement of the law; however, this is balanced by the need to ensure that people who are in government custody are not treated inhumanely, no matter the circumstance.”

Wilson asked Noem to identify a date for her to visit either from April 11-21 or April 25-28 and detail “what steps will be taken to ensure that this visit receives complete transparency.”

Last week, Levine Cava sent Noem a similar letter in which she sought a tour of the facility for her and other local officials. She said migrant deportations under President Donald Trump “have not kept pace” with arrests, “and far fewer immigrants are being paroled or released.”

That, she said, has led to the indeterminate detention of “a growing number of (detainees with) no criminal records … green card holders and long-standing members of our community who were contributing to our economy, supporting their families and paying taxes.”

“Krome is now housing a broad range of immigrants, including women and people with no criminal charges, and reports described alleged overcrowding so severe that inmates are ‘sleeping on their feet,’” she said. “To ensure legal and humane conditions and standards at Krome, we respectfully request a tour of the facilities for a delegation of local, state and congressional elected officials.”

Late last month, a Colombian student attending the University of Florida named Zapata Velásquez was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sent to the Krome facility. The Miami New Times reported on the incident Monday, noting that Velásquez’s detainment appears to be the first case of a Florida college student being arrested under Trump’s hard-line immigration policies.

In the first 50 days of Trump again taking office, ICE made 32,809 arrests, according to DHS, which said nearly half were convicted criminals, a third had pending criminal charges, 1,155 were gang members and 39 were “known or suspected terrorists.” Monday marked Day 76 of Trump’s second term.

The Trump administration admitted last week that it mistakenly deported a Maryland man with protected legal status to a notorious El Salvador prison last month, where he would likely face persecution by local gangs. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts agreed Monday to extend the deadline for the Trump administration to return the man, whom the White House says has ties to the MS-13 gang — an assertion for which the man and his lawyers say there is no evidence.

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As of midday on Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 750 points, or 2%. The S&P 500 had slumped 1.5%, and the Nasdaq composite was off 1.2%. The drop in the markets briefly reversed in the morning after a false report that Trump was considering a pause in his tariff plans. The frantic trading, which sent stocks spiking before plummeting again, showed how investors are operating on a hair trigger and are eager for any sign of encouraging news.

The White House account said it was “fake news” that Trump was considering a pause. The Republican president has remained defiant despite fears that he could be pushing the U.S. toward a recession, insisting that his tariffs are necessary for rebuilding domestic manufacturing and resetting trade relationships with other countries.

“Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!” he wrote on Truth Social.

He accused other countries of “taking advantage of the Good OL’ USA” said “our past ‘leaders’ are to blame for allowing this.” Trump also called on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. On Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the tariffs could increase inflation, and he said “there’s a lot of waiting and seeing going on, including by us,” before any decisions would be made.

Investors expect the U.S. central bank to cut its benchmark interest rates at least four times by the end of this year, according to CME Group’s FedWatch, a sign that concerns about inflation will be eclipsed by fears of layoffs and a shrinking economy.

Trump spent the weekend in Florida, arriving on Thursday night to attend a Saudi-funded tournament at his Miami golf course. He stayed at Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Palm Beach, and golfed at two of his properties nearby.

On Sunday, he posted a video of himself hitting a drive, and he told reporters aboard Air Force One that evening that he won a club championship.

“It’s good to win,” Trump said. “You heard I won, right?”

He also said that he wouldn’t back down from his tariffs despite the turmoil in the global markets.

“Sometimes you have to take medicine to fix something,” Trump said.

Goldman Sachs issued a new forecast saying a recession has become more likely even if Trump backtracks from his tariffs. The financial firm said economic growth would slow dramatically “following a sharp tightening in financial conditions, foreign consumer boycotts, and a continued spike in policy uncertainty that is likely to depress capital spending by more than we had previously assumed.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union would focus on trade with other countries besides the United States, saying there are “vast opportunities” elsewhere.

Trump said he spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to start trade negotiations. He complained on Truth Social “they have treated the U.S. very poorly on Trade” and “they don’t take our cars, but we take MILLIONS of theirs.”

Ishiba said he told Trump that he’s “strongly concerned” that tariffs would discourage investment from Japan, which has been the world’s biggest investor in the U.S. in the past five years. He described the situation as a “national crisis” and said that his government would negotiate with Washington to urge Trump to reconsider the tariffs.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro suggested countries would need to do much more than simply lower their own tariff rates to reach deals, saying they would have to make structural changes to their tax and regulatory codes.

“Let’s take Vietnam,” he said on CNBC. “When they come to us and say, ‘We’ll go to zero tariffs,’ that means nothing to us because it’s the non-tariff cheating that matters.”

On Monday, Trump welcomed the Los Angeles Dodgers to the White House to celebrate their World Series victory. He also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said his country would remove tariffs and other trade barriers in the aftermath of Trump putting 17% taxes on imports from Israel.

“Israel can serve as a model for many countries who ought to do the same,” Netanyahu told the U.S. president.

Trump said he appreciated “very much” what Netanyahu had said about tariffs. But when asked if he would remove the tariffs, Trump said “maybe not” because of the aid that the United States provides to Israel. The U.S. had a $7.4 billion trade deficit in goods last year with Israel, according to the Census Bureau.

Trump has strived for a united front after the chaotic infighting of his first term. However, the economic turbulence has exposed some fractures within his disparate coalition of supporters.

Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager, lashed out at Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday as “indifferent to the stock market and the economy crashing.” He said Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial firm led by Lutnick before he joined the Trump administration, stood to profit because of bond investments.

On Monday, Ackman apologized for his criticism but reiterated his concerns about Trump’s tariffs.

“I am just frustrated watching what I believe to be a major policy error occur after our country and the president have been making huge economic progress that is now at risk due to the tariffs,” he wrote on X.

Top White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” that Ackman should “ease off the rhetoric a little bit.”

He insisted that other countries, not the United States, are “going to bear the brunt of the tariffs.”

Billionaire Elon Musk, a top adviser to Trump on overhauling the federal government, expressed skepticism about tariffs over the weekend. Musk has said that tariffs would drive up costs for Tesla, his electric automaker.

“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally in my view to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,” Musk said in a video conference with Italian politicians.

He added, “That certainly has been my advice to the president.”

Navarro later told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that Musk “doesn’t understand” the situation.

“He sells cars,” Navarro said. “That’s what he does.” He added that, “He’s simply protecting his own interests as any business person would do.”

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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.

A few years ago, Adrian Hernandez was scooping ice cream for a living, uncertain about his future. Today, he is a senior field applications engineer in Florida’s fast-growing solar industry.

His journey — from feeling lost and uncertain of his future to a career in renewable energy — began at Erwin Technical College, a Hillsborough County-based institution training workers to meet the state’s surging demand for skilled solar professionals.

Hernandez’s turning point came by chance discovery. One day, he stumbled across an article about solar energy and its potential for job growth. The idea stuck with him. With no prior experience in the field, he enrolled in Erwin Tech’s Solar Photovoltaic Design, Installation & Maintenance Program, a 600-hour course designed to provide students with hands-on training in solar installation, troubleshooting, and electrical systems.

What he found was more than just a classroom.

“We weren’t just learning from a book,” Hernandez said. “We were installing real solar panels, wiring systems, and working on projects like we were already on the job.”

At the heart of the program is Sigurd Brocks, a veteran instructor who has guided countless students through the program.

“Mr. Brocks was more than just a teacher — he helped me turn my life around. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without this program,” Hernandez said.

Brocks emphasizes the importance of preparing students for life and careers beyond the classroom.

“At Erwin Tech, we make sure our students don’t just study solar; they install it, troubleshoot it, and work with real systems,” Brocks said. “We put tools in our students’ hands and give them the practical experience they need to succeed from Day 1. The solar industry is growing rapidly, and our graduates are stepping into jobs where they can make an immediate impact.”

That real-world experience paid off for Hernandez. Balancing a day job while attending night classes, he earned his Associate and Professional Certifications — credentials that would help him secure his first industry job. He started as a technician, then worked his way up to project management. Today, he helps design and implement solar solutions as a senior field applications engineer.

Hernandez’s story is one of many to come out of Erwin Tech’s solar program. In the 12 years since its inception, the program has trained over 150 students, many of whom have gone on to careers in installation, system design, and project management.

As the demand for renewable energy grows, so does the need for skilled workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for solar photovoltaic installers are projected to increase significantly in the coming years.

Employers are taking note. Graduates of Erwin Tech’s program are finding themselves in high demand, stepping into careers that offer stability and growth potential.

For Hernandez, the shift from ice cream scoops to solar panels has been transformative.

“The solar industry is always changing,” Hernandez said. “But if you’re willing to learn and adapt, there are endless opportunities.”

With Florida’s solar sector expanding rapidly, Erwin Tech is ensuring those opportunities don’t go unfilled.

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