Immigrants held in small outdoor cages at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida, investigators find
Immigrants held in small outdoor cages at 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Florida, investigators find. Image source, US Department of Homeland SecurityByMadeline HalpertPublished14 September 2026Immigrants held at "Alligator Alcatraz", a now-shuttered detention centre in Florida, were kept in small metal cages for hours, according to a report from the US Department of Homeland Security's watchdog.
What happened
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Trump toured the Alligator Alcatraz facility last JulyIn its response included in the investigation report, DHS officials said Florida – not the federal government – had authority over day-to-day operations at the facility. In their report, OIG inspectors said they found immigrants held at the facility had to use showers infested with small bugs and were only allowed to do so three times a week. Image source, SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesImage caption, A large Alligator Alcatraz sign was put up outside the campRelated topicsFloridaUS immigrationDetention centresDonald TrumpUS judge orders shutdown of Trump's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention centrePublished22 August 2025More on this storyLife inside notorious immigration centre 'Alligator Alcatraz' as it enters final daysPublished31 August 2025
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found the use of the outdoor cages – about 18sq ft (1. Trump once joked that immigrants held there would need to learn "how to run away" from the reptiles at the facility, which civil rights groups have decried as inhumane. According to the OIG report, between July 2025 and January 2026, the facility kept 79 immigrants in the small metal enclosures, describing them as "calming areas" for people to "deescalate and have time alone".
Figure caption, Watch: ‘I have grave concerns’ – Advocate weighs environmental impact of “Alligator Alcatraz"Detainees at the facility have previously told the BBC they were denied necessary medication and regular showers and other hygiene measures.
The wider picture
Investigators concluded the centre also did not comply with a number of standards for hygiene, medical care, food, health and safety. The BBC has contacted DHS's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for comment. The facility was established by the state of Florida through an executive order signed by DeSantis, but the federal government paid for operational costs. In 2025, the detention facility was built over the course of eight days in the Everglades, a protected wetland known for its alligators.
They were held there from periods ranging from minutes to nearly two hours, at least once as a disciplinary measure, OIG said. Immigrants at the centre also told OIG that they did not have access to clean drinking water and could not clean the plastic cups from which they drank. DHS inspectors say they found the immigration-detention centre violated basic standards for hygiene, medical care, food and safety. 67sq m) – was "unprecedented among detention facilities" and dangerous.
What has been reported
DHS told the watchdog that state officials ran the facility. In January, the OIG conducted a surprise inspection at the detention facility, which had become one of the most notorious immigration detention centres in the US. The OIG is an independent internal watchdog at DHS. The current inspector general was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term. In June 2026, DeSantis said the facility would close as it was only meant to be temporary.
"The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment," the report stated. The facility did not provide them with sufficient living space, "creating cramped conditions for detainees who spent most of their time in their housing units", according to the report.