DHS Watchdog Faults Small Cages at 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Immigrants at Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" were sometimes held in outdoor cages barely bigger than a phone booth, according to a federal watchdog report critical of the practice. "The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment," reads the report from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general, per NBC News. Detainees at the now-closed South Florida Detention Facility were placed in the metal enclosures, which staff described as "calming areas," for up to about two hours at a time. Amnesty International previously raised concerns over the cages, asserting they amounted to torture.

Neither the DHS nor the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has responded to requests for comment, reports the New York Times. The state-run Everglades complex, championed by DeSantis and erected in July 2025 in partnership with federal immigration authorities, cost more than $1 million per day to operate before shutting down in June.