Alarming reports of abuse and mistreatment are emerging from Florida’s newly opened immigrant detention facility, known colloquially as Alligator Alcatraz.
As the allegations surfaced, a Federal judge ordered a temporary stop to construction of the camp in Florida amid an environmental lawsuit.
In a recorded phone call obtained by investigative outlet Status Coup, a Cuban national detained at the facility described a disturbing pattern of physical abuse, sexual misconduct, and psychological torment allegedly inflicted by staff. He warned that unless something changes, deaths in custody are inevitable.
“This has to come out one way or another because they’re going to kill us here, little by little,” the detainee said in Spanish. “No one pays attention to us. I’ve been here for 30 days, seeing injustice and mistreatment—it doesn’t stop. They abuse us in every way, with the food, in the bathroom, everything, everything.”
The facility, located deep in the Florida Everglades, officially opened on July 1 and has quickly become one of the most controversial immigration projects tied to Governor Ron DeSantis. The first deportation flights out of the center began by the end of July, less than a month after operations began.
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The man alleged that guards, many of whom he described as “inexperienced, racist, and power hungry,” routinely subject detainees to physical and sexual abuse. He recounted multiple instances of violence, including guards stepping on detainees’ hands and kicking them while they were restrained.
“They touch us all—our groins, our a–es to see if we’ve brought cookies, a little piece of fries, and they take it,” he said. “They search us, they touch us a lot, they search and touch our whole bodies in a weird way. We feel violated. I feel violated.”
The facility’s remote location and high security have raised concerns among immigrant rights advocates, who say it creates a dangerous environment of unchecked authority. The nickname “Alligator Alcatraz” is a reference to both the swampy terrain surrounding the site and the isolation many detainees reportedly feel.
Advocacy groups have begun to demand immediate investigations into the allegations. “These are serious human rights abuses that require urgent federal oversight,” said one immigrant rights lawyer who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation against her clients.
Despite these accusations, Florida officials have yet to issue a formal response. Governor DeSantis previously touted the facility as part of his broader effort to crack down on undocumented immigration, often framing the initiative as a matter of national security and state sovereignty.
The Status Coup recording is one of the few pieces of direct testimony from inside the center, as access to detainees remains limited. Immigration attorneys and journalists have raised red flags over transparency issues since the facility’s launch.
In the absence of meaningful oversight, detainees like the Cuban national who made the call say they fear the worst is yet to come.
“Imagine if one day a person here can’t take it anymore, and something really bad happens. They don’t care. They just act like we’re not human,” the man said.
As calls for accountability grow louder, civil rights groups are urging the Department of Justice to step in, at least when it comes to the environmental issues.
