Watchdog: Florida detention centre held immigrants in outdoor cages

Immigrants held at a Florida detention centre known as “Alligator Alcatraz” were kept in small outdoor metal cages, the US Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has found. The Office of the Inspector General said 79 immigrants were held in the roughly 18-square-foot (1.67-square-metre) enclosures between July 2025 and January 2026.

What did the inspector general find?

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG), an independent internal watchdog at DHS, said the use of the outdoor cages was “unprecedented among detention facilities” and dangerous. Inspectors concluded the centre did not comply with a number of standards covering hygiene, medical care, food, health and safety. “The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment,” the report stated.

How were the metal cages used?

The OIG report said the enclosures were described as “calming areas” for people to “deescalate and have time alone”. Detainees were held in them for periods ranging from minutes to nearly two hours, at least once as a disciplinary measure, according to investigators.

What did inspectors say about conditions inside?

Inspectors found detainees had to use showers infested with small bugs and were allowed to shower only three times a week. The facility did not provide sufficient living space, “creating cramped conditions for detainees who spent most of their time in their housing units”, the report found. Immigrants told the OIG they did not have access to clean drinking water and could not clean the plastic cups they drank from. People held at the centre have previously said they were denied necessary medication and regular showers.

Who ran the Alligator Alcatraz facility?

The facility was established by the state of Florida through an executive order signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, but the federal government paid for its operational costs. In its response included in the investigation report, DHS said Florida, not the federal government, had authority over day-to-day operations at the centre. The OIG carried out a surprise inspection there in January 2026. The centre was built over eight days in 2025 in the Everglades, a protected wetland known for its alligators, and DeSantis said in June 2026 that it would close because it was only meant to be temporary.

The current inspector general was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term. Trump once joked that immigrants held at the facility would need to learn “how to run away” from the reptiles there. Civil rights groups have decried the centre as inhumane. The report comes amid wider shifts in US immigration enforcement: Haitian caregivers lost their US work permits as temporary protected status expired.

Frequently asked questions

How many immigrants were held in the outdoor cages at Alligator Alcatraz?

The DHS Office of the Inspector General said 79 immigrants were held in the small metal enclosures between July 2025 and January 2026, for periods ranging from minutes to nearly two hours.

What was Alligator Alcatraz?

It was a Florida immigration detention centre built over eight days in 2025 in the Everglades, a protected wetland. It was established by an executive order signed by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Who was responsible for running the facility?

DHS told the inspector general that Florida, not the federal government, had authority over day-to-day operations, although the federal government paid the centre’s operational costs.

What conditions did inspectors report at the facility?

The OIG said the centre did not comply with standards on hygiene, medical care, food, health and safety, and reported showers infested with small bugs, cramped living space and no access to clean drinking water.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Mike Moloney / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)