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Immigrants held in small outdoor cages at 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Florida, investigators find
Homeland Security inspector general records reveal 79 detainees were held in 16- and 18-square-foot metal enclosures at the Everglades facility, Alligator Alcatraz, between July 17, 2025, and January 18.
Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the Everglades site in July 2025 under a 287 partnership, though inspector general investigators found ICE personnel on-site despite the agency lacking a formal contract to manage operations.
Amnesty International investigators toured the site in September 2025, reporting "inhuman and unsanitary conditions," and concluded the use of a metal "box" for shackling detainees constitutes torture.
The facility shut down in June after costing taxpayers more than $1 billion, with daily bed costs exceeding $3,000 compared to typical $200 rates for standard ICE detention beds.
Ongoing lawsuits challenge the $608 million provided by The Federal Emergency Management Agency for an operation that lacked a formal federal contract and drew sharp criticism from Democrats.