New DHS Report From Skewers Alligator Alcatraz As Inhumane, Especially ‘Calming Areas’ The Size Of Animal Cages

The open-air prison camp for immigrant detention in Florida—officially named the Florida Soft-Sided Facility, but known colloquially as “Alligator Alcatraz”—was not fit for human habitation, even by the standards of ICE, the Department of Homeland Security said in a report released on Monday.

The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), an internal watchdog group, issued a 33-page report after an unannounced inspection of the camp-like jail in January. 

The state-run facility, set on an airstrip in the middle of the Florida Everglades, was surrounded by alligators, pythons, mosquitoes, and giant water bugs. It was to serve as a model for how states could assist the government in deportations, but from the beginning was beset with allegations of a hellish atmosphere, from insect infestation to overflowing toilets and overcrowding,  as reported by NewsOne in April. “Detainees are allegedly shackled, beaten, subjected to continuous lighting, and provided poor food and water.”

In June, before the site was shuttered by both DHS and the state of Florida, NewsOne reported:

There have been several reports about how bad the conditions are in the facility, with detainees complaining of floors being covered in wastewater, worms in the food, and being punished when they try to seek legal counsel. It should come as no surprise that Alligator Alcatraz has been the subject of several lawsuits filed by environmental and civil rights groups. 

The new OIG report said that living conditions for detainees at Alligator Alcatraz were below state and federal standards. CBS News reports that the housing units, when at capacity, only provided 28 square feet per detainee — less than half of the 75 square feet required under Florida state jail standards; 

Detainees were given only one hour of recreation time three days per week and could shower only three days a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). ICE’s own standards call for at least one hour of recreation a day, five days a week, and Florida’s standards require daily access to showers, reports CBS. 

The Miami Herald reports the photos in the report show “small metal enclosures” (4 feet, 3 inches by 7 feet, 9 inches), and euphemistically called “calming areas,” held at least 79 men, some for up to two hours, as a form of punishment when the jail was running.

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

Good riddance. “Alligator Alcatraz,” which cost an estimated $1 billion, is now no more. But many of the lawsuits filed by those traumatized by the place go on.  

SEE ALSO:

Vendors Begin Dismantling Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz

All Detainees At Alligator Alcatraz Removed Ahead Of Hurricane Season

5 Disturbing Allegations Coming Out Of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Everyone Should Know

Alligator Alcatraz To Shut Down Over Environmental Impact