A damning new report from Amnesty International has laid bare what it describes as "harrowing human rights violations" occurring within two controversial immigration detention facilities in Florida, including the state-run camp nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz".
Shackled in 'The Box': Allegations of Cruel Punishment
The investigation, published on Thursday, details disturbing accounts from detainees held at the remote Everglades facility, operated by the Florida Department of Emergency Management (DEM). According to Amnesty, migrants were subjected to "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" that in some instances amounted to torture.
A central allegation concerns the use of a 2ft high outdoor metal cage, referred to by detainees as "the box". The report states guards use this structure for the arbitrary punishment of minor or non-existent infractions, leaving individuals shackled inside for up to 24 hours without water, exposed to the intense south Florida sun, humidity, and mosquitoes.
"One time, two people in my cell were calling out to the guards telling them that I needed my medication. Ten guards rushed into the cell and threw them to the ground," one detainee recounted. "They were taken to the 'box' and punished just for trying to help me. I saw a guy who was put in it for an entire day."
Filthy Conditions and Medical Neglect Across Facilities
The allegations extend beyond punitive measures. At "Alligator Alcatraz", Amnesty documented unsanitary conditions including overflowing toilets, limited shower access, constant lighting, poor-quality food and water, and a severe lack of privacy. The report further claims access to medical care is inconsistent or denied, posing serious risks to physical and mental health.
Similar issues were reported at the Krome North Service Processing Center in west Miami, which is operated by the for-profit firm Akima Global Services LLC under a $685m contract with ICE. The facility was described as "chaotic", with Amnesty citing extreme overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and "alarming" disciplinary practices including prolonged solitary confinement.
Violence and racist abuse by guards were said to be commonplace. One Amnesty staffer reportedly witnessed a guard violently slam a metal door flap onto a detainee's injured hand.
Political Backlash and a Facility's Contested Operation
The state of Florida has vehemently denied all allegations. Molly Best, press secretary to Governor Ron DeSantis, dismissed the Amnesty report as "nothing more than a politically motivated attack" and claimed running the story could jeopardise security.
"Alligator Alcatraz" represents an unorthodox model in US immigration detention as the first state-run jail supporting federal operations. It opened in July 2025 following a visit from Donald Trump but was ordered closed by a federal judge in August after environmental lawsuits. Its operation resumed in October after two Trump-appointed appellate judges blocked the closure.
Amnesty criticises the facility for operating outside standard federal oversight and lacking basic tracking systems, which the group says facilitates "incommunicado detention" and amounts to enforced disappearances for some detainees transferred there.
The report concludes with urgent recommendations, calling for Florida to close "Alligator Alcatraz" and for the federal administration to end the mass detention of migrants. "The treatment of people inside these immigrant detention centers is cruelty, hard stop," said Mary Kapron of Amnesty's research team, demanding immediate action to end the crisis.
