Police, feds search for detainee who escaped Krome Detention Center

MIAMI - A manhunt is underway near the Krome Detention Center in west Miami-Dade as authorities search for a detainee who they say escaped the facility.

Miami-Dade police said Thursday they are assisting U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the search for the detainee who escaped the detention center just off of Krome Avenue and SW 8th Street. The Florida Highway Patrol is also assisting.

The search involves drones, helicopters and officers on the ground.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the detainee escaped around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Police have not released the identity of the man who escaped and have not said how he managed to get out.

Residents and business owners have been told to be on the lookout for the man who escaped from the center.

CBS News Miami spoke with Michael Gonzalez, who has owned the Pit Barbecue for 17 years at SW 8th St. 164th Ave. He said he had spoken with officers about the man and the search.

"They warned us that he was dangerous and if we saw him to contact the authorities so they can come and apprehend him," Gonzalez said. "The wooded areas behind us are large areas and they are searching with helicopters and dogs. We presume that with the rain there was some delay but they have continued."

"This is not the first time that this has happened but for him to come in to a place like ours is not likely but it doesn't stop him from doing something like that," he added. "He's going to hide himself somewhere but we are on the lookout and we keep our place up and our rear doors locked."

Gonzalez said the man was believed to be "very skinny and short" and wearing an orange jumpsuit, adding that he was eager for his capture.

"That is what exactly has to happen," he said. "If they see the man with the orange jumpsuit, contact the authorities right away so they can apprehend him."

Another business manager also told CBS News Miami that officers told him they were looking for "a man in an orange jumpsuit."

Patty Cruz-Lopez lives in the area and said she was taking extra safety precautions, like avoiding being out late and alone, until the escapee is caught.

"Obviously, if it's someone that's escaped that should be behind bars for whatever reason then we need to be more careful, I suppose," she said.

As police continue their search, people who live in the area are raising questions about the security of the facility.

"I don't know if they're understaffed, if there's too many people there, but yeah it is a concern because it's just a few miles down actually from here," Cruz-Lopez said.

The Krome North Service Processing Center — the official name of the detention center — is where undocumented migrants are held while they await deportation.

The facility, in a remote area of the county, processes over 10,000 detainees yearly, and almost 5,000 are deported. It is under the authority of and managed by ICE.