Watchdog finds Florida detention center used phone booth-sized cages

A federal watchdog report has found that immigrant detainees at the now-closed Alligator Alcatraz detention facility in Florida were held in small metal enclosures described by staff as "calming areas," a practice deemed unprecedented and not aligned with humane treatment standards. The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General report, released Monday, details conditions at the state-run facility that operated in the Florida Everglades from July 2025 until its closure in June 2026. The report states that between July 17, 2025, and January 18, 2026, at least 79 detainees were confined in the small metal enclosures, which measured approximately 4 feet 3 inches by 4 feet 3 inches and were nearly 8 feet tall. Detainees were held in these spaces for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours. Facility staff told inspectors the enclosures were used for de-escalation and that detainees requested time in them, but the OIG found at least one instance where an enclosure was used as a disciplinary tool after a detainee failed to comply with a lawful command.