A Florida-based migrant detention heart dubbed by President Donald Trump as ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ did not adjust to a litany of federal detention requirements, a brand new watchdog report discovered – and confined migrants in small steel ‘cages’ for hours at a time.
The ability opened in July 2025, and it formally closed its doorways 13 months later after extreme points had been reported. Florida officers stated in Could that the ability had processed and deported roughly 22,000 detainees throughout that point.
The brand new report, revealed by DHS’s Workplace of the Inspector Common, decided that situations on the now-shuttered facility posed ‘important dangers’ to migrants’ well being and security – citing insufficient residing area, meals service, and medical care, amongst different issues.
Most notable had been the small, fenced-in steel enclosures OIG inspectors noticed, the place migrants had been apparently confined for durations starting from a number of minutes to roughly two hours, the report stated.
The observe was ‘in contrast to any OIG crew has noticed in ICE services,’ the inspectors discovered.
‘Use of those small steel enclosures for any cause is unprecedented amongst ICE services inspected by OIG,’ the report stated. ‘Confining people in small steel enclosures for any cause presents important dangers to detainee well being and well-being.’
Although facility employees at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ described the small steel enclosures as ‘calming areas’ for detainees to ‘de-escalate and have time alone,’ OIG inspectors famous that the enclosures contained locking mechanisms.
They additional cited not less than one occasion the place the enclosures – measuring roughly 18 sq. ft in measurement – had been noticed getting used as a disciplinary instrument.
President Donald Trump and then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem communicate with the media earlier than the opening of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Ochopee, Florida
An aerial view exhibits the ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ ICE detention heart in Florida
The ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ facility in southern Florida’s Everglades, is surrounded by Everglade’s wildlife like alligators, Florida panthers and pythons, and snakes as a pure deterrent
Throughout the time that ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ was operational, greater than 75 migrants had been confined within the small steel enclosures, the OIG report discovered.
The common enclosure time for the small, steel enclosures averaged barely greater than 59 minutes.
The report additionally detailed obvious points with meals service, medical entry, hygiene, residing area, and recreation on the Florida-based immigration detention heart, which was closed roughly two months in the past.
It detailed showers infested with bugs, in addition to considerations about meals security and entry to scrub ingesting water, amongst different issues.
The report comes as President Donald Trump touted ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as a possible mannequin for future ICE detention facilities throughout a private tour of the ability final 12 months.
The detention facility, constructed on an deserted airfield within the Everglades, had 5,000 beds, greater than 200 safety cameras, and roughly 400 safety personnel manning the detention heart – which was additional enclosed by an enormous, barbed-wire fence spanning the perimeter.
Trump had marveled throughout his tour final 12 months on the detention heart’s distant location, and joked that migrants being held there ought to be taught to run in a zig-zag sample to flee alligators.
‘We’re going to show them how you can run away from an alligator in the event that they escape jail,’ Trump joked.
‘The one manner out, actually, is deportation,’ Trump added later.
Neither DHS nor ICE instantly responded to the Every day Mail’s request for remark.
