Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz locked in cages the size of phone booths
Detained immigrants were kept in cages not much bigger than a phone booth in Florida’s notorious “Alligator Alcatraz”, a new report has found.
The scathing investigation from the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security has condemned the prison built by the state of Florida to detain undocumented migrants facing deportation.
The “calming areas” where detainees were locked in Alligator Alcatraz. Department of Homeland Security
The report detailed what inspectors encountered when they made an unannounced inspection of the facility built in swampland west of Miami.
The inspectors found two metal cages about 130cm in the facility's recreation area.
"Facility staff described the small metal enclosures as 'calming areas' for detainees to deescalate and have time alone," the report said.
"Staff further maintained that detainees asked to spend time in the small metal enclosures.
"We found at least one instance in which the small metal enclosures may have been used as a disciplinary tool."
The report said one detainee was put in the cage for not complying with a lawful command.
"The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment," the report read.
Those locked up in the detention centre were generally crammed in far tighter conditions than the required standards.
Alligator Alcatraz cost more than a billion dollars but was closed after a year. Department of Homeland Security
Detainees should have a minimum of seven square metres, but those in Alligator Alcatraz had just 2.6 square metres to themselves.
"We observed that there were no TVs or playing cards available, and reading materials were limited to religious texts, further restricting detainees’ ability to meaningfully occupy their time," the report said.
"One detainee reported he did not have access to a telephone to speak with his attorney or ICE case officer."
Phones in the facility were not working when inspectors tried to use them.
Detainees told the inspectors they did not have access to clean drinking water and could not clean their cups.
Detainees also said they were only allowed to shower three days a week and were not allowed deodorant on the other days.
They were also only allowed one hour of exercise three days a week, far below the required standard.
The inspectors also said they found freezers storing perishable food were not cold enough.
Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tour Alligator Alcatraz last year. AP
Alligator Alcatraz was built by the state of Florida to detain non-citizens for the US government.
It operated from July last year to June this year.
In that time 1400 men were imprisoned in the facility, with two-thirds of them classified as "non-criminal".
In a statement to the Miami Herald, a spokesperson for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis defended the facility, including the cages.
"The left-wing media wants to focus on a confinement area for violent criminal aliens who have proven they cannot remain peaceful while awaiting deportation," the spokesperson said.
"While it adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement, we’d make it even smaller if we could."
President Donald Trump tours Alligator Alcatraz. AP
The report has quickly become a central issue in Florida's upcoming election.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds has brushed off calls for an investigation.
"Now that that facility has been closed, calling for an investigation on something that no longer is in operation honestly sounds more like busy work than anything else," he said.
In her criticism, Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz noted Alligator Alcatraz was funded from money intended for emergency recovery.
"ICE lied to me when I pressed them on their use of these cages during my surprise oversight inspection," Wasserman Schultz said.
"I’m glad this internment camp is shut down, but we must hold Trump, DeSantis, and their cronies accountable for stealing from our hurricane fund to torture our neighbours."
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