US News
Watchdog report finds outdoor phone-booth-sized cages used at Florida immigration facility
A DHS inspector general report detailed conditions at Florida's shuttered Alligator Alcatraz facility, NBC News reports.
The short version
- A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report found that detainees at Florida's former Alligator Alcatraz facility were held in outdoor metal cages as small as 16 square feet for over an hour at a time.[NBC News]
- Facility staff described the small enclosures as calming de-escalation areas, but the inspector general stated they do not meet humane treatment standards.[NBC News]
- Internal records showed that 79 detainees were placed in these restrictive cages over a six-month period.[NBC News]
Key facts
- The DHS inspector general found that detainees were placed in 16- and 18-square-foot outdoor metal cages for over an hour.[NBC News]
- Facility records show 79 detainees were placed in these cages between July 17, 2025, and January 18.[NBC News]
- Facility staff told investigators the enclosures served as calming areas for detainees to de-escalate.[NBC News]
What remains uncertain
- Amnesty International reported the cages were used as punishment amounting to torture, though the inspector general report noted the practice was unconventional and inhumane without endorsing the torture characterization.[NBC News]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.