Cages as punishment? Trump administration reveals abuses against migrants at Alligator Alcatraz

A U.S. government investigation confirmed conditions of overcrowding, abuse, and the use of small metal cages as "calming zones" for migrants detained at 'Alligator Alcatraz' before its closure this summer in South Florida.

The existence of these 1.7-square-meter cells was one of the most revealing details in a report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General following several inspections of the migrant detention center, which was inaugurated by U.S. President Donald Trump in July 2025.

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According to inspectors, up to 79 migrants were confined "between several minutes and nearly two hours" in these small cages between July 17, 2025, and January 18, 2026.

Although 'Alligator Alcatraz' staff claimed these enclosures, which stood about 2.3 meters high, were "calming zones" for detainees to cool down, and that migrants even requested access to them, the investigation found evidence that they were also used as a form of punishment.

"The use of such restrictive spaces contravenes humane treatment standards, which require keeping inmates in the least restrictive environment possible," the report released this Monday stated.

Overcrowding of migrants was also evident at the center, according to the investigation, which warned that the site, located in the middle of the Everglades wetlands, violated "living space standards."

National regulations state that each detainee should have at least 7 square meters of space, but at maximum capacity, the center only offered 2.6 square meters per inmate.

The lack of space, easily observable in several photographs accompanying the report, "reduced the daily mobility of inmates, increasing stress levels and the risk of spreading contagious diseases," according to the inspectors.

'Alligator Alcatraz' also failed to meet sanitation, medical care, and food standards.

Detainees reported "significant delays" in medical evaluations for new arrivals, "insufficient" personal hygiene items, or food rations that were too small and in poor condition.

Furthermore, they indicated that they were prohibited from going outside for several weeks, which contravenes regulations.

Despite the report's findings, the DHS asserted that the center "operated under the authority of the state of Florida through a framework agreement and not under the direct management of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), so federal detention standards were not applicable to it."

'Alligator Alcatraz,' built on a former airfield adjacent to the ecosystem of Everglades National Park—a reserve protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage site since 1979—became an emblem of President Trump's mass deportation campaign since its opening.

However, it ended up closing last June after months of demands from humanitarian and environmental organizations regarding the "mistreatment" of immigrants and the facility's environmental impact.