Detainees held in small metal cages at Florida immigrant facility, DHS report reveals
Gisela Salomon
Miami: Detainees at a now-closed US immigrant detention centre in the Florida Everglades – known as “Alligator Alcatraz” – were held for up to two hours in small metal enclosures used as “calming areas”, a practice that “does not meet standards for humane treatment”, according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General.
The report said that between July 17, 2025 and January 18, 2026, 79 detainees were confined in small metal enclosures, each about 18 square feet (1.6 square metres) of floor space, for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours.
Photographs from the report show a cage that looks only slightly larger than a telephone box sitting on what is either grass or turf and surrounded by chain-link fencing topped with concertina wire.
“The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional,” the report, published on Monday, stated.
It noted that facility staff described the metal enclosures as “‘calming areas’ for detainees to de-escalate and have time alone”.
It did not specify where the boxes were located or the exact instances in which they were used, but documents provided by staff at the facility said one detainee spent 26 minutes in one for failing to “comply with a lawful order”.
housing pods, without views to the outside and a lack of natural light. US Office of Inspector General
The report said that in at least one instance, the metal enclosure may have been used as a disciplinary tool.
A policy posted on the enclosures said the purpose of the holding cell space was to provide a “safe and secure place in general population for detainees to reflect on their behaviour choices, manage their emotions, reduce stress, and practice self-directed behaviour”, according to the document attached to the report.
Conditions criticised
The revelation was part of a broader report from the Inspector General, which detailed other conditions that it described as inhumane.
The centre opened on July 3, 2025, and was closed on June 25. It quickly drew attention from immigration advocates who criticised the conditions.
Detainees lacked adequate living space, access to showers, legal information and clean water, the report said, calling it a violation of federal and state detention standards.
The 33-page report was prepared after an unannounced visit to the South Florida Detention Facility on January 21.
It marks the first time a government agency has confirmed the existence of such conditions at the facility.
Advocates, lawyers, families and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International had previously reported and criticised the treatment of detainees.
In June, citing concerns about hurricane season, the Department of Homeland Security said all detainees at the Florida state centre on an isolated airstrip in the Everglades were transferred to other facilities.
In the report, the Office of the Inspector General said the immigrant detention centre did not provide detainees with sufficient living space, “creating cramped conditions” for inmates who spent most of their time in metal housing units, “which may harm” their physical and mental health.
Detainees had less than half the space required, according to the report.
They spent the majority of their time housed on a campus with eight windowless buildings, leaving only for meals three times a day, an hour of recreation three times a week, showers three times a week, and for medical reasons.
The report found that the limited number of showers prevented detainees from maintaining personal hygiene.
Detainees were given basic hygiene items, including soap, shampoo, deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste, but they were not allowed to take anything back to their living quarters except a toothbrush.
If an inmate requested toothpaste on a non-shower day, a staff member would squeeze toothpaste from the tube onto their toothbrush, the report said.
Inmates also told inspectors that they lacked access to clean drinking water and could not clean their cups.
The report noted that standards required at least 75 square feet of floor space per detainee in dormitory housing units. Housing units at Alligator Alcatraz were 28 square feet per person, “well below the required minimum”, it said.
The Office of the Inspector General also found that some detainees lacked access to a law library or legal materials, a claim former detainees raised during a January court hearing, stating that their First Amendment rights were violated.
Inhumane conditions allegations false, DHS says
The Office of the Inspector General said that the Department of Homeland Security did not address its recommendations. The DHS contended that it did not have authority over the facility’s day-to-day operations, the report said.
In a statement sent to the Associated Press, the DHS said that the facility “was consistent” with the same federal detention standards applied by previous administrations, including those of presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. The DHS did not address the use of “calming areas”.
The DHS said that all detainee facilities are clean, and any allegations of inhumane conditions are false.
Alex Lanfranconi, communications director for state Governor Ron DeSantis, said that Florida “adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement”.
The report said that facilities housing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees must comply with federal detention standards, but the staff at Alligator Alcatraz could not clearly identify which standards they followed in holding detainees.
AP
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