In the remote, flood-prone heart of Florida’s Everglades, nearly 900 migrants are being held in sweltering tent cages at a detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”—a site Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls “safe and secure,” but Democratic lawmakers say is a humanitarian disgrace.
The makeshift facility, built in just over a week on the grounds of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, has drawn national attention and legal scrutiny. Members of Congress and Florida state legislators filed suit earlier this week after being denied access, calling the lack of transparency a “deliberate obstruction.” On Saturday, they were granted a limited tour.
What they saw—and didn’t see—only fueled their concerns.
“Wall-to-wall humans”
“They are essentially packed into cages,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, describing what she learned during the visit. “Thirty-two detainees per cage, three toilets, and one shared water source used for both flushing and brushing teeth.”
Although lawmakers were shown only unused cells and not active detention areas, they said they could hear detainees crying out for help and shouting “libertad”—Spanish for “freedom”—from within the compound. Outside temperatures soared and swarms of insects plagued the encampment, lawmakers said, all while detainees received meager meals.
Wasserman Schultz contrasted the detainees’ cold turkey sandwich with apples and chips to the “heaping plates of roast chicken and sausage” served to staff. “Hunger creates desperation,” she said. “And desperation creates danger.”
“They wouldn’t let us see the medical unit”
Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost expressed outrage over not being allowed to view the on-site medical facilities, which officials claimed was due to HIPAA privacy laws. “That excuse doesn’t hold up,” he said, noting lawmakers have visited medical areas in other detention centers. He also cited reports of unsanitary conditions, malfunctioning toilets, and feces in common areas.
Frost called the site “a national shame,” adding, “Immigrants don’t poison the blood of this nation. They are the blood of this nation.”
Rep. Darren Soto said he observed signs of flooding inside the facility—raising concerns about hurricane season. “This isn’t policy. This is political theater. And it’s putting lives at risk.”
Family: “It’s really bad in there”
The wife of a Guatemalan man detained at Alligator Alcatraz told CNN her husband is being held in miserable conditions. He hasn’t had access to a lawyer since being detained more than two weeks ago, she said.
“He says there are too many mosquitoes. It’s really hot. There’s not enough food. People who are sick aren’t getting medicine,” she said. “He went six days without a shower. He was woken up at 3 a.m. just to shower because of the long lines.”
She and their 11-month-old baby were also briefly detained after being stopped by a Florida wildlife officer during a family fishing trip. Though she was later released, she now wears an ankle monitor.
Her husband was initially held at the Dania Beach Jail before being transferred to the Everglades facility, where she says he remains in increasingly dire conditions.
DHS: “We meet higher standards than U.S. prisons”
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the facility, declined to comment on specific allegations. However, in a statement posted on X, DHS defended its operations: “ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons. All detainees receive meals, medical care, and access to legal communication.”
ICE officials maintain that the facility can eventually house up to 3,000 people and meets federal safety requirements. Gov. DeSantis has promoted the site as a necessary response to illegal immigration, fast-tracked under his executive order declaring a “state of emergency.”
Built in eight days, praised by Trump
President Donald Trump, Gov. DeSantis, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured the site on July 1. Trump praised the rapid construction and called the facility “incredible,” vowing to replicate the model “in many states.”
Drone footage taken days later showed rows of white tents stretching across the tarmac and swampy surroundings of the Everglades runway.
But for those detained inside, lawmakers say, it’s a nightmare come to life.
At Saturday’s press conference, Rep. Soto summed up the visit bluntly: “It’s cruel, it’s dangerous, and it’s wasting taxpayer money. This isn’t security—it’s a spectacle.”
