'Alligator Alcatraz' detainees were confined to small metal enclosures, DHS inspector general finds

In a report published Monday, the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found that some detainees of the "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention facility in Florida were confined to small metal enclosures, presenting "significant risks" to their health and safety.

The sweeping report on the now-closed detention center painted a picture of a facility overrun with poor conditions from insect infestation in the showers to a lack of clean drinking water.

The metal enclosures had a total of 18 square feet of floor space, according to the DHS inspector general, which amounts to a little more than 4 feet by 4 feet.

The detention center, opened in 2025 as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, closed over the summer after being plagued by lawsuits and concerns from lawmakers and immigrant advocates regarding what they called inhumane conditions at the facility.

At an unannounced visit to the facility, the inspector general found that it had an "absence" of well-defined corrections standards and did not provide detainees with "sufficient living space" which "may harm detainees' physical and mental health."

In some cases, detainees were held for up to two hours in the small metal enclosures, in what they described as "calming areas."

"The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment," the IG said. In total there were 79 people held in the space and on average they spent just under an hour.

"Alligator Alcatraz" was rolled out with much fanfare by the Trump administration, including then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who promised that Florida officials would be repaid for standing up and operating the facility through FEMA money. When the IG visited they found that Florida hadn't been repaid -- but since then FEMA has obligated over $600 million to repay the agency.

There was a "grey area" regarding who actually operated the facility and which standards employees were supposed to follow, according to the report.

The facility did not comply with federal corrections standards related to detainee food service, personal hygiene, medical care and recreation, according to the inspector general. Detainees did not have access to clean drinking water and could not clean up their plastic cups, and some detainees told the inspector general the water was dirty, the report said.

"At maximum capacity, the FSSF housing units provided 28 square feet per detainee -- well below the required minimum. Detainees spent most of their time in the housing units," the report said of the facility, adding that detainees could only leave their housing units for meals, showers, recreation and medical reasons.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Responding to the report, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who lauded Alligator Alcatraz's construction, said the goal of the facility was "not only to meet the federal standards, but to actually exceed the federal standards."

"I haven't read this report, but I can tell you there have been a lot of accusations, because I remember going in the facility before they started accepting illegal aliens, and I was like, 'Why are you, why do you have this? Why do you have this? It seems overkill to me,'" DeSantis said. "And they're like, 'Well, you know, it's not required, but if we don't do it, they're going to accuse us of mistreating them. I'm like, 'They're going to accuse you of that no matter what you do.'"

The IG's report also raised questions about ICE's detention facilities in general.

"Although FSSF ceased operations in June 2026, the issues raised by the Department's management response regarding ICE's level of oversight and responsibility for immigration detention remain consequential," according to the report.

In a letter to the inspector general that was attached to the report, DHS officials said that the responsibility lay with the state of Florida, writing that "DHS did not have a contract with Florida to manage the detention space within the facility."

"Even as to a facility where a state detains aliens under 287(g) authority, the state maintains authority over the day-to-day operations of that facility," the SHD latter said.

Alligator Alcatraz, which was operational for less than a year, cost $1.2 million per day to operate, according to an ABC analysis of documents obtained by an advocacy center. The facility held about 20,000 people.

In addition to concerns about the detention conditions, environmentalists also raised flags about how its construction would "inflict significant damage on the Everglades ecosystem."

ABC News' Laura Romero contributed to this report.