DHS OIG Publishes Its Unannounced Inspection of Alligator Alcatraz: 79 Detainees Held in Metal Enclosures of About 18 Square Feet

The DHS Office of Inspector General published its congressionally mandated unannounced inspection of the Florida Soft-Sided Facility (“Alligator Alcatraz”) with a report dated September 11, 2026. The inspection took place in January 2026.

One practice stands out. Between July 17, 2025 and January 18, 2026, the facility confined 79 detainees in small metal enclosures offering about 18 square feet of floor space, for periods ranging up to nearly 2 hours. OIG’s characterization: “unprecedented among detention facilities OIG has inspected.” OIG made 10 recommendations and then closed them administratively because the facility ceased operations in June 2026 (the closure itself is recorded in 2025-07-01–alligator-alcatraz-everglades-detention).

The jurisdictional move is in DHS’s response. OIG reports that the Department’s management response “did not address our recommendations.” DHS instead said Florida held detainees “pursuant to authority delegated under Section 287(g)” and that the state, not the Department, controlled day-to-day operations. OIG applied the more restrictive of the Florida Model Jail Standards and ICE’s National Detention Standards 2019 to its findings. The related GAO review of how the operation was funded is 2026-09-24–gao-ice-no-strategic-plan-45b-detention-expansion-waste.