Immigrants held in small outdoor cages at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ in Florida, investigators find

In its response included in the investigation report, DHS officials said Florida – not the federal government – had authority over day-to-day operations at the facility.

The facility was established by the state of Florida through an executive order signed by DeSantis, but the federal government paid for operational costs.

In January, the OIG conducted a surprise inspection at the detention facility, which had become one of the most notorious immigration detention centres in the US. The OIG is an independent internal watchdog at DHS. The current inspector general was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term.

In 2025, the detention facility was built over the course of eight days in the Everglades, a protected wetland known for its alligators. Trump once joked that immigrants held there would need to learn “how to run away” from the reptiles at the facility, which civil rights groups have decried as inhumane.

In June 2026, DeSantis said the facility would close as it was only meant to be temporary.

According to the OIG report, between July 2025 and January 2026, the facility kept 79 immigrants in the small metal enclosures, describing them as “calming areas” for people to “deescalate and have time alone”. They were held there from periods ranging from minutes to nearly two hours, at least once as a disciplinary measure, OIG said.

“The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment,” the report stated.