ICE Deports Canadian Detained at Alligator Alcatraz Over Pandemic Taxes

A routine probation check turned into a 65-day nightmare ending in a lifetime US ban for a former Montreal resident.

After building a life in Florida over the past two decades, 61-year-old Douglas Dixon touched down in Toronto this Wednesday, permanently exiled from the United States.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported the grandfather following a 65-day detention. Dixon was the latest Canadian detained at Alligator Alcatraz, a notorious Florida facility facing severe scrutiny from human rights groups.

Arrested During a Routine Check-In

Dixon’s nightmare began on February 10 during what he thought was a standard early morning meeting with his probation officer. Instead, six Florida ICE agents ambushed him, pushed him against a wall, and placed him in shackles.

The unexpected arrest stems from unpaid taxes connected to his Port Charlotte smoothie shop, a small business he was forced to shutter during the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

The DoorDash Hustle and Aggravated Felony Charges

While Dixon pleaded “no contest” to tax evasion in 2022, he had actively been making financial amends. He successfully paid back two-thirds of his $30,000 debt while working as a DoorDash driver.

However, owing the U.S. government the remaining $12,000 classified his offense as an “aggravated felony” under stringent US immigration laws, triggering an immediate ICE deportation order.

Detained Inside Alligator Alcatraz

Following his arrest, authorities transported Dixon to the Florida Everglades facility. The conditions inside shocked the Canadian expat.

He described being stripped, handed an orange jumpsuit, and forced into a communal, metal-fenced cage designed for 32 men.

“They’re treating people like animals,” Dixon told reporters, noting the freezing temperatures and the constant smell of urine.

Working-Class Detainees Instead of Violent Criminals

He highlighted that the facility mostly held working-class individuals detained for minor administrative infractions, contradicting political rhetoric that the center would house violent criminals.

Organizations like Amnesty International have heavily scrutinized such mass immigration detention centers for their harsh, inhumane conditions.

The harsh environment took an immediate physical toll. Guards conducted head counts every four hours under blaring lights, severely depriving detainees of sleep. Dixon eventually contracted a urinary tract infection before officials transferred him to a smaller facility in Clewiston, Florida.

A Lifetime Ban From the United States

In late March, an immigration judge sealed his fate during a swift 10-minute online hearing. Dixon’s lawyer presented 14 character letters from his local men’s league hockey team describing him as a generous, loveable community member.

The judge ignored the pleas, ordered his formal deportation to Canada, and handed down a lifetime ban from entering the U.S.

Recent enforcement data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows an aggressive uptick in deportations, with dozens of Canadians caught in the wider immigration dragnet over the past year.

Dixon boarded an American Airlines flight to Toronto this week without ever having the chance to hug his children or grandchildren goodbye. His wife, Jo Ann Collison, now faces the agonizing task of packing up their 21-year life in Florida entirely alone before she can finally join her husband back in Canada.

Information regarding immigration policies and detention center conditions is subject to ongoing legal and political developments.

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