Detainees at the now-closed “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida were kept in “inhumane” living conditions that included lack of clean water and enclosures small enough to violate human health and safety standards, according to a new federal report.
The study was released last month by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, which conducted a surprise visit in January to the remote facility in the Everglades.
An estimated $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars were spent to operate the facility for just under a year ending this past June. During that time, it faced multiple lawsuits from environmentalists and human rights advocates.
News of detainee mistreatment and horrific conditions plagued the facility Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opened to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ramped-up detention program. Amnesty International said the state and ICE committed national and international “human rights violations” against detainees there.
The OIG report found detainees were mistreated in numerous ways, including in areas such as hygiene, exercise and the use of short-term holding cages measuring just 18 square feet in diameter.
“Use of these small metal enclosures for any reason is unprecedented among ICE facilities inspected by OIG. Confining individuals in small metal enclosures for any reason presents significant risks to detainee health and well-being,” the report says.
Inspectors emphasized the point by adding: “The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment.”
Housing areas also were found to be deficient and health-threatening, the report says. Up to 32 detainees were kept in pods of 900 square feet with access to three wash basins, three toilets and four telephones. Each pod was furnished with bunk beds but no tables, storage space or common areas.
For the facility “to satisfy the minimum square footage requirement of 75 square feet per detainee, each housing unit would need to house no more than 11 detainees — approximately one-third of the current maximum capacity.”
The facility also was chided for failing to provide detainees enough recreation time, with standards mandating a minimum of one hour a day, five days a week or at least six hours a week across four days.
“We found detainees were offered one hour of recreation time three days per week. With the limited amount of recreation, detainees could not engage in recreational and exercise programs, which could negatively affect physical and mental health,” OIG reported. “Combined with housing units without common areas and limited space for any form of exercise, the minimal recreation time further hinders detainees from engaging in meaningful mental and physical exercise.”
Detainees interviewed by OIG inspectors relayed information about egregious violations of water standards. “Detainees told us they did not have access to clean drinking water and could not clean their plastic cups. Drinking potentially contaminated drinking water from unclean cups could negatively impact detainee health.”
Showering at “Alligator Alcatraz” also violated standards because detainees were allowed to shower only three times a week and there were not enough showers to maintain hygiene. Federal standards require those in general population to be able to shower daily.
“The OIG inspection team also observed that the facility’s showers were infested with small bugs, specifically on the ceilings. According to standards, detention facilities shall be kept free of insects and vermin.”
The food provided at the facility was also a problem, with at least one freezer found to be operating at above healthy temperatures that could result in spoilage and foodborne illnesses.
“Alligator Alcatraz” also failed to maintain basic medical standards for detainees experiencing drug or alcohol withdrawals and did not document the severity of symptoms in affected patients, the report says.
Yet the American Immigration Council noted that U.S. and Florida officials have actually praised the deplorable conditions at the detention center. When asked about the inhumane cages, DeSantis once remarked, “We would make them smaller if we could,” while President Donald Trump praised the facility and said more like it should be opened across the country.
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