‘Alligator Alcatraz’ put detainees in metal cages labeled ‘calming areas,’ watchdog finds

Nearly 80 immigrant detainees who were held at Florida’s makeshift detention center, known as Alligator Alcatraz, were briefly held in small metal enclosures for “periods ranging from several minutes to nearly 2 hours,” according to a federal watchdog report

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general, which visited the now-shuttered facility in January, said in its report that the practice of holding detainees in the indoor enclosures — with about 18 square feet of floor space — was “unlike any OIG team has observed in ICE facilities.”

“The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment,” the report says.

The 34-page report reveals disturbing conditions at Alligator Alcatraz, which was used to detain immigrants amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and touted by Florida and Homeland Security officials. President Donald Trump also visited the facility last summer. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the facility was meant to be temporary and it ceased operations in mid-June.

Less than 50 miles west of Trump’s Miami Beach resort, the detention center was opened by the state in summer 2025 after being speedily erected on the runway of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. It invited immediate backlash from Democratic lawmakers, immigrant rights groups, environmentalists, and tribal groups whose lands flank the facility.

Democrats who visited the facility last year described hundreds of migrants confined in cages and subjected to sweltering heat, bug infestations, and meager meals. Though detainees’ families have also expressed alarm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have defended the facility as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons.

According to the inspector general report, which was first reported by NBC News, it was unclear which detention standards Florida was using to hold immigrants at the facility. DHS said the state, not the department, maintained authority over the facility’s daily operations, the report says, later noting that facilities that house ICE detainees must comply with ICE detention standards.

Inspectors found the facility complied with intake and use-of-force standards, but not with a series of other standards related to medical service, food service, and personal hygiene, among others.

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Florida Division of Emergency Management for comment.

The report found that detainees were held in cramped conditions, spending most of their days in windowless housing units, and that between July 17, 2025, and January 18, 2026, 79 detainees were confined in small metal enclosures.

“Use of these small metal enclosures for any reason is unprecedented among detention facilities OIG has inspected and presents significant risks to detainee health and safety,” the report says.

The report includes photos of the metal housing enclosures inside the Special Management Units that were observed in January. Inspectors also observed at least two small metal enclosures in the outdoor recreation areas akin to cages. They measured approximately 4 feet 3 inches by 4 feet 3 inches and 7 feet 9 inches tall, the report says.

Facility staff described them as “calming areas” for detainees to de-escalate and said detainees asked to spend time in the enclosures. The inspector general’s team found “at least one instance in which the small metal enclosures may have been used as a disciplinary tool,” the report says.

The average time spent in a metal enclosure was just under an hour, the inspectors found.

There were also crowded conditions in housing units, where detainees spent most of their time. The eight housing units listed by the inspector general report held between 22 to 31 individuals each, according to population data provided by the facility in late January, above what would be the required standard of 75 square feet per detainee.

The inspectors also examined facility areas, collected and analyzed documentation “related to housing conditions, use of force, food service, and medical care,” as well as interviewed facility staff and detainees, according to the report.

In interviews with detainees, inspectors were told that they did not have access to clean drinking water and showered three times a week. The facility’s showers were also infested with small bugs, the inspection team found.

The inspector general’s recommendations — ranging from discontinuing the use of small metal enclosures to hold detainees and providing access to clean drinking water and cups — were closed as a result of the facility ceasing operations.

In a management response, however, DHS said it didn’t have a contract with Florida to manage detention space and the state maintained authority of daily operations, the report states.

据一份联邦监督机构报告显示，近80名被关押在佛罗里达州临时拘留中心（被称为“鳄鱼阿尔卡特拉斯”）的移民被拘留者，曾被短暂关押在小型金属笼子里，“时间从几分钟到近2小时不等”。

国土安全部监察长办公室于 1 月份视察了现已关闭的该设施，并在其报告中指出，将拘留者关押在室内围栏（面积约为 18 平方英尺）的做法“与监察长办公室团队在移民和海关执法局 (ICE) 设施中观察到的任何做法都截然不同”。

报告称：“使用这种限制性空间是非常不寻常的，不符合人道待遇的标准。”

这份长达34页的报告揭露了鳄鱼阿尔卡特拉斯监狱令人不安的状况。该监狱曾被用于在特朗普政府打击移民的行动中关押移民，并受到佛罗里达州和国土安全部官员的吹捧。唐纳德·特朗普总统去年夏天也曾到访过该监狱。佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯表示，该监狱原本是临时性的，并已于6月中旬停止运营。

这座拘留中心位于特朗普迈阿密海滩度假村以西不到 50 英里处，由州政府于 2025 年夏季启用，此前该中心在戴德-科利尔训练和过渡机场的跑道上迅速建成。该中心立即遭到民主党议员、移民权利组织、环保人士以及毗邻该设施的部落团体的强烈反对。

去年曾到访该设施的民主党人士描述，数百名移民被关在笼子里，忍受着酷热、虫害和匮乏的食物。尽管被拘留者的家属也表达了担忧，但美国移民和海关执法局官员辩称，该设施的拘留标准高于许多美国监狱。

据NBC新闻率先报道的监察长报告显示，佛罗里达州在该设施关押移民时所采用的拘留标准尚不明确。报告称，国土安全部表示，该设施的日常运营由州政府而非国土安全部负责，但随后又指出，关押移民及海关执法局（ICE）被拘留者的设施必须遵守ICE的拘留标准。

检查人员发现该机构符合接收和武力使用标准，但在医疗服务、食品服务和个人卫生等方面的其他一系列标准方面则不符合。

CNN已联系国土安全部和佛罗里达州紧急事务管理局寻求置评。

报告发现，被拘留者被关押在狭小的空间里，大部分时间都待在没有窗户的住房单元中；2025 年 7 月 17 日至 2026 年 1 月 18 日期间，有 79 名被拘留者被关押在狭小的金属围栏中。

报告称：“在监察长办公室检查过的拘留设施中，出于任何原因使用这些小型金属笼子都是前所未有的，这对被拘留者的健康和安全构成了重大风险。”

报告中包含1月份在特殊管理单元内发现的金属围栏照片。检查人员还在户外休闲区发现了至少两个类似笼子的小型金属围栏。报告称，这些围栏的尺寸约为4英尺3英寸×4英尺3英寸，高7英尺9英寸。

监狱工作人员称这些区域是供被拘留者冷静下来的“平静区”，并表示被拘留者主动要求在这些封闭空间内待一段时间。报告指出，监察长小组发现“至少有一起案例表明，这些小型金属封闭空间可能被用作惩戒手段”。

检查人员发现，人们在金属笼子里的平均停留时间略低于一个小时。

此外，被拘留者大部分时间都待在拥挤的监舍里。监察长报告中列出的八个监舍，根据该设施1月下旬提供的统计数据，每个监舍关押着22至31人，远高于每名被拘留者75平方英尺的标准。

报告称，检查人员还检查了设施区域，收集并分析了“与住房条件、武力使用、食品服务和医疗保健有关”的文件，并采访了设施工作人员和被拘留者。

在对被拘留者的访谈中，检查人员得知他们无法获得干净的饮用水，每周只能洗三次澡。检查小组还发现，该设施的淋浴间里爬满了小虫子。

监察长提出的建议——包括停止使用小型金属笼子关押被拘留者以及提供清洁饮用水和杯子——由于该设施停止运营而未能落实。

但据报道，国土安全部在一份管理回应中表示，它与佛罗里达州没有签订管理拘留场所的合同，该州保留了日常运营的管辖权。