Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detains 1,500 Under Inhumane Conditions, Lawmakers Say

The Everglades immigration detention center, known grimly as “Alligator Alcatraz,” continues to hold roughly 1,500 detainees in what Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz calls “inhumane” and “cruel” conditions. After an unannounced visit to the facility last Thursday, Wasserman Schultz condemned the treatment of detainees and the administration’s refusal to provide transparency.

The facility, constructed in just eight days from tents, trailers, and temporary buildings deep inside the Big Cypress National Preserve, houses men suspected of being in the country illegally. Rows of bunk beds are enclosed by chain-link fencing, creating a prison camp atmosphere in the heart of sensitive wetlands. The dorms are humid, reek of urine, and have limited toilet access, according to the congresswoman.

Wasserman Schultz, a fierce critic of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, noted that federal immigration officials have repeatedly dodged questions about detainee treatment, hiding behind Florida state agencies to avoid accountability. “ICE is hiding behind Florida state agencies to avoid any obligation to treat people humanely,” she said.

Despite ICE’s denials of poor conditions, the center’s cost to Florida taxpayers has soared to at least $640 million. The majority of detainees—about 65 percent—have no criminal history, and only 27 percent are deemed “high threat” by ICE, raising questions about the necessity of such harsh confinement.

The congresswoman has introduced the “No Cages in the Everglades Act,” which would ban federal funding for detention centers in the Everglades and ensure that Congress can conduct oversight visits without obstruction. Meanwhile, Senators Jon Ossoff and Dick Durbin have launched an investigation into allegations of human rights abuses at the site.

The detention center has also faced three federal lawsuits since opening last July. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe challenged the lack of a proper environmental review. Another suit questioned the authority of Florida agencies and contractors to operate the facility, which ended after the plaintiff agreed to deportation. Most recently, a federal judge ordered the center to improve detainees’ access to legal counsel, including confidential and unmonitored phone calls.

President Donald Trump toured the facility last July, praising it as a potential model for future immigration lockups as part of his administration’s push to expand deportation infrastructure. Yet the ongoing reports of abuse and secrecy reveal a disturbing pattern of cruelty and evasion of oversight.

As long as “Alligator Alcatraz” remains open, the Trump administration’s immigration policies will continue to inflict suffering in the shadows of the Everglades, shielded from public scrutiny and accountability.