Exclusive: Second Alligator Alcatraz corrections officer charged with battery of detainee

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A second corrections officer has been arrested and charged in connection with the alleged battery of a detainee at the now-closed Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed to WINK Investigates.

The new arrest comes after WINK Investigates first reported the arrest of Stephen Jordan Trejos, a corrections officer assigned to the facility.

FDLE now confirms another corrections officer, Andre Seenaraine, was also arrested in connection with the same incident in January involving a detainee. His attorneys have not responded to a request for comment.

Both men face one misdemeanor count of battery and have entered written pleas of not guilty.

"The incident involved two detention officers, Trejos and Seenaraine, and the victim who was a detainee," FDLE said in a statement to WINK Investigates.

The alleged victim is Rigoberto Rodriguez Arce, a Cuban citizen who had lived in the United States since 2007 before being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in December 2025.

Second officer arrested

FDLE said Trejos was arrested June 24 and Seenaraine was arrested June 26.

The charging document alleges Seenaraine unlawfully battered Rodriguez Arce while inside Alligator Alcatraz by intentionally touching or striking him or intentionally causing bodily harm.

The charging documents currently publicly available provide few details about the alleged encounter beyond identifying Rodriguez Arce as the victim and charging each officer with battery. WINK Investigates has requested additional records.

Seenaraine was booked into the Marion County Jail on June 26 and later released after posting a $1,000 bond, according to his booking record. Trejos also posted a $1,000 bond after his arrest.

FDLE said the investigation remains active and the agency will not release additional information.

Former detainee says he witnessed encounter

A former detainee at Alligator Alcatraz who says he witnessed the encounter told WINK Investigates that Rodriguez Arce was among more than 100 detainees who had been waiting for hours in handcuffs to be transferred from the facility.

Frank Rivera said the detainees had been waiting since early that morning without food or water. As frustration grew, some detainees began banging their handcuffs against aluminum benches to get officers' attention.

Rivera said Trejos entered the room and confronted Rodriguez Arce. He alleges Trejos grabbed Rodriguez Arce, slammed him to the ground and repeatedly struck him.

Rivera said he and other detainees yelled for the officer to stop.

He alleges Rodriguez Arce was then taken into another area of the facility, where a second corrections officer, Seenaraine, continued using force against him, including punching him in the face.

WINK Investigates has not independently verified Rivera's account.

According to Rodriguez Arce's attorney Yaritssa Plasencia, staff at the Texas facility later opened an investigation after Rodriguez Arce arrived from Florida with a black eye, bandages on his hand and a blood-stained uniform. Rivera also said he saw blood on Rodriguez Arce's clothing after the encounter.

"Every individual in government custody is entitled to humane treatment and appropriate medical care, regardless of their immigration status," Plasencia said.

Trejos asks judge to dismiss battery charge

Trejos is now fighting the charge in court.

In a motion filed Aug. 27, Trejos' attorney asks a judge to dismiss the battery charge, arguing Trejos is protected from prosecution under Florida's self-defense immunity law.

Trejos' account of the incident differs significantly from Rivera's.

According to the motion, surveillance video shows Rodriguez Arce repeatedly striking his handcuffs against a metal bench as detainees became increasingly disorderly.

Trejos' attorney says officers moved Rodriguez Arce out of the room and that Rodriguez Arce then intentionally spit on Trejos.

The motion says Rodriguez Arce's head moved toward Trejos again seconds later. Trejos' attorney argues the officer reasonably believed Rodriguez Arce was about to spit on him a second time.

According to the motion, Trejos then delivered one "compliance strike" to the side of Rodriguez Arce's head, which the filing says was intended to redirect his face. Trejos and another officer then brought Rodriguez Arce to the ground.

Trejos' attorney says he immediately disengaged and had no further physical contact with Rodriguez Arce.

The motion also specifically states Trejos did not participate in any subsequent use of force against Rodriguez Arce.

The defense argues the surveillance video supports Trejos' account and that his actions were legally justified because he reasonably believed force was necessary to prevent an imminent second battery.

WINK Investigates has not independently reviewed the surveillance video referenced in Trejos' motion.

The judge has not yet ruled on Trejos' request for dismissal.

Trejos' attorney previously told WINK Investigates he did not wish to comment.

Seenaraine's attorneys have not responded to a request for comment.

FDLE said its investigation remains active and declined to provide additional information.