DHS report: Alligator Alcatraz detainees kept in phone booth-sized outdoor cages

A Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report found that some immigration detainees at the now-shuttered Alligator Alcatraz facility were confined to outdoor cages just slightly larger than phone booths for more than an hour at a time. The report described the use of the cages as “a practice unlike any OIG team has observed in ICE facilities.”

The Inspector General’s office made an unannounced inspection at the Everglades detention center on Jan. 21, 2026, and noted an “absence of well-defined standards” for holding detainees on immigration-related charges.

The report quotes an unnamed facility official, who said it was “so gray as to whose place this is … and which standards to follow.”

Each housing unit contained between 22 and 31 detainees on the day of the inspection. Investigators found that detainees in the most packed units had about 28 square feet of living space per person, less than half of what was required.

The report said that between July 17, 2025, and January 18, 2026, 79 people were kept in small metal enclosures with about 18 square feet of floor space for an average of about an hour. Some were held for up to two hours, the maximum allowed, in a space measuring approximately 4 feet 3 inches by 4 feet 3 inches and 7 feet 9 inches tall.

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

Facility staff described the cages, placed in the outdoor recreation area, as “calming areas” and said detainees were closely monitored and not locked inside. OIG inspectors reported that the cages had locking mechanisms.

Detainees did not have access to a commissary, in-person family visits, televisions or playing cards in their housing units. Detainees in the Special Management Units were housed separately and reported not being allowed to contact attorneys. One detainee reported being held for eight days in the SMU without recreation.

The facility did not comply with food safety standards, with perishable food kept above the recommended temperature. Detainees told investigators they did not have access to clean drinking water and were not allowed to clean the plastic cups they drank from.

People housed at the facility were permitted showers only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, which violates standards requiring daily access to showers. An insect infestation was observed in the ceiling of the showers, according to investigators.

“Before showering, facility staff give detainees a personal hygiene kit with soap, shampoo, deodorant, a toothbrush, and toothpaste,” the report said. “However, after showering, detainees may only bring the toothbrush back to their housing units.”

If a detainee requested toothpaste, a staff member would apply it to their toothbrush, the report said.

The OIG made 10 recommendations to the facility to ensure compliance with standards. Alligator Alcatraz closed in June, and all recommendations have been administratively closed.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Monday news conference that he had not yet read the OIG report.

“They’re going to accuse you of mistreatment no matter what you do,” DeSantis said.