ALLIGATOR ALLEY, Florida — Amnesty International said Thursday that the use of a 2-by-2-foot confinement cage known as the “box” at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz migrant detention facility may amount to torture, describing conditions that the group says cause severe physical and psychological suffering. A new 61-page report details how detainees are restrained on the ground for hours in the outdoor structure, exposed to extreme heat, insects and weather conditions.
Four men interviewed by Amnesty said they were punished in the box, recounting long periods of immobility and distress. The organization, which visited the facility in September, also documented unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, including fecal matter from overflowing toilets, around-the-clock lighting, and inadequate access to hygiene. The report further criticized prolonged shackling of detainees and frequent use of solitary confinement, practices it said may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Amnesty called on the federal government to stop criminalizing immigrants, ban the use of state-owned detention sites, and investigate all allegations of torture and deaths in custody. The Hill reported that the White House and the Department of Homeland Security have not yet commented on the findings.
The facility’s future remains uncertain. A lower court had ordered Alligator Alcatraz dismantled in September due to environmental risks, but an appeals court later paused that order, allowing the site to continue operating while litigation continues.
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