Immigrants kept in small outside cages at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida, investigators find

In its reaction included in the assessment report, DHS authorities stated Florida – not the federal government – had authority over everyday operations at the center.

The center was established by the state of Florida by means of an executive order signed by DeSantis, nevertheless the federal government spent for functional costs.

In January, the OIG carried out a surprise assessment at the detention center, which had in fact become among the most notorious migration detention centres in the United States. The OIG is an independent internal watchdog at DHS. The existing assessor general was selected by Head of state Donald Trump throughout his extremely first term.

In 2025, the detention center was built throughout 8 days in the Everglades, a safeguarded marsh comprehended for its alligators. Trump as quickly as joked that immigrants held there would definitely require to find “precisely how to flee” from the reptiles at the center, which civil liberties groups have in fact decried as inhumane.

In June 2026, DeSantis mentioned the center would definitely shut as it was simply indicated to be short-term.

According to the OIG report, in between July 2025 and January 2026, the center kept 79 immigrants in the little steel spaces, explaining them as “soothing locations” for people to “deescalate and have time alone”. They were held there from periods varying from minutes to almost 2 hours, a minimum of when as a disciplinary step, OIG mentioned.

“Using such restricting areas is extremely non-traditional and does not line up with requirements for gentle treatment,” the report mentioned.