A new report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has confirmed that immigrant detainees at Florida’s now-closed South Florida Detention Facility were placed in cramped outdoor metal enclosures barely larger than a telephone booth, raising serious questions about treatment standards at the controversial site.
The watchdog report found that the outdoor cages measured just 4 by 4 feet, or 16 square feet, while indoor versions measured 18 square feet. Both fall well below the minimum 37 square feet required under ICE guidelines for single-occupancy detention spaces. For reference, federal prison solitary confinement cells average around 84 square feet.
Records reviewed by the inspector general show that 79 detainees were placed in the enclosures between July 17, 2025, and January 18, with the average stay lasting just under an hour and the longest reaching approximately two hours. Facility staff referred to the spaces as “calming areas” meant to help detainees de-escalate.
The inspector general’s report stopped short of calling the practice torture but stated that “the use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment.” Amnesty International had previously concluded that use of what detainees called “the box” constituted torture after interviewing detainees who said they were shackled and unable to sit while confined in the heat.
The facility known as Alligator Alcatraz opened in July 2025 in the Florida Everglades under a partnership between Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration and federal immigration authorities. DHS denied having authority over day-to-day operations despite ICE personnel being present on site and detainees receiving an ICE handbook identifying the facility as a federal immigration detention center.
The site cost Florida taxpayers more than $1 billion to operate and ran at a cost exceeding $3,000 per detainee per day, far above the typical ICE detention rate of under $200 per day. FEMA has reimbursed Florida approximately $608 million for the facility’s operation.
The facility shut down in June after DeSantis described it as always intended to be temporary. Detainees were either deported or transferred to other federal detention centers.
The DHS inspector general’s criticism is notable given that President Trump has dismissed at least 18 inspectors general since returning to office in 2025. Inspector General Joseph Cuffari was among the few at the Cabinet level who were not removed in that purge. Congressional investigators had already launched a probe into abuse allegations at the facility following Amnesty International’s earlier findings.