Federal Watchdog Uncovers Severe Mistreatment and Outdoor Cage Confinement at Florida Immigrant Facility

Immigrants held at a notorious and now-defunct detention facility in the Florida Everglades were subjected to prolonged confinement inside cramped outdoor metal cages, according to a scathing review released by the internal watchdog for the United States Department of Homeland Security.

The extensive inquiry, carried out by the Office of the Inspector General, determined that individuals detained at the site known colloquially as "Alligator Alcatraz" were subjected to confinement practices that were both hazardous and unprecedented across the nation’s detention network. Investigators documented the use of diminutive outdoor metal enclosures that measured approximately 18 square feet, or roughly 1.67 square meters.

Facility administrators attempted to justify the miniature holding structures by characterizing them as calming areas designed to help agitated detainees de-escalate and spend time in solitude. However, government investigators concluded that holding individuals in such exceptionally confined spaces directly contradicted established standards for the humane treatment of detainees.

According to data compiled in the watchdog's report, at least 79 immigrants were placed into these restricted metal units between July 2025 and January 2026. Records show that people were kept inside the enclosures for durations ranging from a handful of minutes to nearly two full hours. Crucially, the inquiry revealed that the cages were deployed on at least one occasion as a direct disciplinary measure rather than a therapeutic measure.

Beyond the controversial outdoor cages, the inspector general's office uncovered extensive failures by the facility to adhere to baseline federal requirements governing medical treatment, general hygiene, nutritional care, health, and personal safety. The findings paint a grim portrait of the daily realities experienced by people housed within the remote encampment.

Inspectors discovered particularly egregious deficiencies regarding sanitation and basic bodily cleanliness. Immigrants detained at the site were permitted to shower only three times per week, and the communal shower stalls they were forced to use were actively infested with small insects.

Access to basic hydration and sanitary eating supplies was similarly compromised. Detainees informed investigators that they routinely lacked access to clean drinking water and were given no means to wash or sanitize the reusable plastic cups provided to them for drinking.

Overcrowding exacerbated the facility's sanitation issues, with investigators noting that individuals were deprived of sufficient living room. Detainees spent the vast majority of their days confined inside cramped housing units with little opportunity for movement, creating an oppressive and unhealthy environment.

The findings from the watchdog corroborate prior accounts shared by former detainees, who previously reported being denied essential prescription medications alongside restrictions on basic hygiene and regular bathing.

The Everglades site swiftly gained a reputation as one of the most controversial and notorious immigration lockups in the United States following its rapid establishment in 2025. Built in a span of just eight days pursuant to an executive order signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the facility was erected in an ecologically sensitive, protected wetland renowned for its dense alligator population.

The facility drew intense national scrutiny, particularly after Donald Trump visited the compound during a tour. Trump once remarked in jest that detainees held at the remote outpost would have to learn how to sprint away from local alligators, a comment that drew fierce backlash from civil rights and immigrant advocacy organizations that viewed the entire complex as inherently inhumane.

The inspection that unearthed these systemic violations was conducted as an unannounced, surprise visit in January by the Office of the Inspector General. The internal oversight agency operates as an independent body within the Department of Homeland Security, and its sitting inspector general was originally appointed to the position by Trump during his first presidential term.

In the wake of the findings, the Department of Homeland Security pointed toward state authorities regarding questions of responsibility, emphasizing in its formal response that Florida officials were directly tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations at the complex. Although the federal government financed the operational costs of the facility, day-to-day management remained under state control.

The controversial Everglades encampment ceased operations after Governor DeSantis announced that the installation would be shuttered, asserting that the center had only ever been intended to function on a temporary basis.

The inspector general's final report leaves a stark record of the facility's brief but troubled history, underscoring the legal and humanitarian perils that emerged when emergency detention infrastructure operated outside standard federal detention safeguards.