DHS watchdog finds immigrants held in small cages at Florida detention centre

In January, federal investigators arrived unannounced at a detention facility in the Florida Everglades and found something they said they had never encountered before in an American immigration jail: immigrants confined in small metal cages, each about the size of a parking space, for stretches lasting up to two hours.

The facility, which had earned the nickname "Alligator Alcatraz" for its location in a swamp known for its reptiles, was built in eight days during the summer of 2025 under an executive order signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The federal government paid the operational costs, though state officials maintained day-to-day control. By the time inspectors from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General conducted their surprise visit, the centre had already become one of the most widely criticized immigration detention sites in the country. In June 2026, DeSantis announced the facility would close, saying it had always been intended as a temporary operation.

The OIG report, released in September 2026, documented conditions that went far beyond the cages themselves. Between July 2025 and January 2026, approximately 79 immigrants were placed in the outdoor metal enclosures, which staff called "calming areas" where detainees could "deescalate and have time alone." Investigators found at least one instance where confinement was used as a disciplinary measure. The report concluded that this use of restrictive spaces was "highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment."

Beyond the cages, inspectors documented a facility that failed basic standards across multiple dimensions. Detainees were allowed to shower only three times a week, and the showers themselves were infested with small insects. The living quarters were so cramped that immigrants spent most of their time confined to their housing units. Access to clean drinking water was restricted, and detainees could not properly clean the plastic cups they used for drinking. Medical care was inadequate, with immigrants reporting they were denied necessary medications.

The facility's location in the Everglades had been part of its controversial design from the start. When the site was announced, President Trump joked that immigrants held there would need to learn "how to run away" from the alligators. Civil rights organizations immediately condemned the facility as inhumane, but it was built anyway, constructed in less than a week and operational by mid-2025.

When the OIG released its findings, responsibility for the violations became a point of dispute. DHS officials told the watchdog that Florida, not the federal government, bore responsibility for day-to-day operations and the conditions detainees experienced. The state, in turn, had established the facility through executive authority. The federal government's role was limited to funding, according to this account—a distinction that left unclear who was accountable for the conditions the inspectors documented.

The report itself made no such distinction. Inspectors concluded that the facility violated standards for hygiene, medical care, food, health, and safety. The outdoor cages—each roughly 18 square feet—stood out as particularly egregious. The OIG stated flatly that their use was "unprecedented among detention facilities" in the United States. For immigrants held in those spaces, sometimes for nearly two hours at a time, the distinction between state and federal responsibility offered little comfort.