By Luc Cohen
Aug 12 (Reuters) - The federal jail in Miami where social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate are being held has suffered from cooling and water problems and a confrontation between detainees and staff in recent months, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said.
Brothers Andrew Tate, 39, and Tristan Tate, 38, were arrested in Miami on July 18 on an extradition request from Britain, which has charged them with rape. The former kickboxers who have dual U.S. and British citizenship have denied
wrongdoing.
Their lawyers have said they are being held in harsh solitary confinement conditions at the jail, known as Federal Detention Center Miami.
Andrew Tate - a self-described misogynist who has built a large online following promoting his views on masculinity - has said in posts on X during his incarceration that he has been forced to drink unclean water that has made him sick, been kept awake at night by screaming inmates in neighboring cells and denied a daily hour of exercise.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's office in Miami said in an August 10 court filing that the Tates are being held for their own safety in the jail's Special Housing Unit, where inmates are separated from the general population.
"While FDC Miami is not a Marriott, the Tates' conditions of confinement are reasonable, constitutional and within BOP's discretion," the prosecutors wrote.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons, which operates the high-rise facility close to federal courthouses downtown, said an annual test showed the water at the facility was drinkable.
The Tates are expected on Thursday to urge a federal judge in Miami to release them on bail while they contest their extradition.
ANDREW TATE SAYS WATER DIRTY, NEIGHBORS SCREAM
FDC Miami primarily holds detainees awaiting trial on federal charges, and had a total population of 1,430 inmates, according to the BOP's website. It is holding more than 450 immigrants pending deportation proceedings, the BOP spokesperson said.
According to the Tate brothers' lawyers, their beds are shorter than they are tall and have no pillows. They said the brothers were given no time out of their cells for 11 of their first 15 days in the jail.
"Where are the rights of American citizens?” Andrew Tate said in a July 28 post on X.
A BOP handbook for FDC Miami inmates says they have the right to a "regular exercise period." Prosecutors said the Tates were allowed out of their cells for hours on an "almost daily" basis for recreation time and meetings with their lawyers.
Asked by reporters on July 27 how Andrew Tate was able to post online from behind bars, defense lawyer Joseph McBride said, "How he gets his message out there into the world is for our team to discuss, but we're glad that he's able to get it out there."
In a July 26 X post, Andrew Tate said he had been suffering stomach problems due to drinking warm water from a "brown and filthy" shower faucet.
Days later, he said he was awoken in the middle of the night by prisoners yelling death threats and later heard a "demonic roar" from a neighboring cell.
"I was unable to sleep and it was too dark to read, so I counted the bricks on the wall," Andrew Tate wrote in a July 31 X post.
The facility has denied the Tates' requests that they be housed elsewhere, their lawyers said.
Prosecutors said the brothers have adequate sleeping arrangements, food and access to water, and the ability to ask for extra supplies.
STAFF DEPLOY PEPPER SPRAY
Paul Petruzzi, a criminal defense lawyer who has five clients detained at FDC Miami, said the BOP is not committing enough resources to maintain the facility. He said some rooms meant for meetings with lawyers are unavailable because soaked ceilings collapsed. The BOP spokesperson said water damage to two legal visit rooms was being repaired, but four rooms were available.
Annett Uset-Dumont, whose husband was held at FDC Miami in July pending deportation proceedings, said the water system failed one day and her husband was given just one bottle of water to last 24 hours.
The spokesperson said the jail experienced a water pressure issue on July 1 that was resolved the next day. The spokesperson said inmates were provided bottled water and could receive additional bottles on request.
The facility has also experienced air conditioning malfunctions. Last month, some immigrant detainees resisted orders to lock down in their cells due to the heat, prompting a confrontation with jail staff, according to Uset-Dumont and another person familiar with the facility who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The BOP spokesperson said the events of July 11 are under investigation, adding "agitated and confrontational" inmates had confronted staff about complaints, and staff deployed pepper spray into the air to secure compliance.
The spokesperson said one of the chillers that provides air conditioning malfunctioned on July 6 and has since been fixed.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Daniel Wallis)
