Detainees at Trump’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ were held in small metal cages, federal report says

Miami: Detainees at a now-closed US immigrant detention centre in the Florida Everglades – known as “Alligator Alcatraz” – were held for up to two hours in small metal enclosures used as “calming areas,” a practice that “does not meet standards for humane treatment,” according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General .

Between July 17, 2025, and January 18, 2026, the report said 79 detainees were confined in small metal enclosures, each about 18 square feet (1.6 square metres) of floor space, for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours.

Photographs from the report show a cage that looks only slightly larger than a telephone box sitting on what is either grass or turf and surrounded by chain-link fencing topped with concertina wire.

“The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional,” the report, published on Monday, stated.

It noted that facility staff described the metal enclosures as “‘calming areas’ for detainees to de-escalate and have time alone”.

It did not specify where the boxes were located or the exact instances in which they were used, but documents provided by staff at the facility said one detainee spent 26 minutes in one for failing to “comply with a lawful order”.

The report said that in at least one instance, the metal enclosure may have been used as a disciplinary tool.

A policy posted on the enclosures said the purpose of the holding cell space was to provide a “safe and secure place in general population for detainees to reflect on their behaviour choices, manage their emotions, reduce stress, and practice self-directed behaviour”, according to the document attached to the report.

The revelation was part of a broader report from the Inspector General, which detailed other conditions that it described as inhumane.

The centre opened on July 3, 2025, and was closed on June 25. It quickly drew attention from immigration advocates who criticised the conditions.

Detainees lacked adequate living space, access to showers, legal information and clean water, the report said, calling it a violation of federal and state detention standards.

The 33-page report was prepared after an unannounced visit to the South Florida Detention Facility on January 21.

It marks the first time a government agency has confirmed the existence of such conditions at the facility.

Advocates, lawyers, families and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International had previously reported and criticised the treatment of detainees.