A new report by Amnesty International has exposed grave human rights violations at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz detention center, accusing the facility of subjecting migrants to "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," in some cases amounting to torture. The report, released on Thursday, details allegations of abuse at the state-run Everglades immigration facility, and at Miami’s Krome North Service Processing Center, operated by a private contractor on behalf of the Trump administration.

According to interviews with detainees, advocacy groups, and on-site observations, individuals at "Alligator Alcatraz" were shackled inside a two-foot-high outdoor metal cage, referred to as "the box," and left without water for hours, sometimes up to a full day, under extreme heat and humidity.

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"It’s a box outside, exposed to the South Florida sun and humidity, and exposed to mosquitos," one detainee told Amnesty. Another described how fellow cellmates were punished simply for asking guards to provide him with medication. "They were taken to the ‘box’ and punished just for trying to help me. I saw a guy who was put in it for an entire day."

The Amnesty International report on immigration also alleges unsanitary and inhuman detention conditions inside the Everglades facility: overflowing toilets, insect exposure without protection, poor food and water, constant bright lighting, and limited access to showers and privacy. Medical care, Amnesty said, was "inconsistent, inadequate, or denied altogether," placing detainees at serious risk. Those removed from their cages were allegedly shackled at all times.

Krome center accused of rights violations

Amnesty’s investigation extended to the nearby Krome immigration center, where similar abuses were reported. The group described the facility as “chaotic” and overcrowded, with prolonged intake delays, inadequate medical access, and “alarming” disciplinary practices, including prolonged solitary confinement.

In one incident, a staff member witnessed a guard slam the metal flap of a solitary confinement cell door against a man’s injured hand. In another, detainees were forced to kneel and eat off the floor with their hands tied behind their backs. Amnesty also reported that new arrivals to Krome were left on buses for days without toilets or air conditioning due to overcrowding inside.

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The Alligator Alcatraz detention center is run independently by the Florida Department of Emergency Management (DEM), making it the first state-operated immigration jail supporting federal ICE operations. The camp was established in July following a visit from US President Donald Trump.

Although a federal judge ordered its closure in August after legal and environmental challenges, the decision was overturned in October by two Trump-appointed appellate judges, one of whom is married to a close ally of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Critics have highlighted the lack of federal oversight at "Alligator Alcatraz". Amnesty said the facility lacks standard ICE tracking systems, allowing detainees to be transferred multiple times with no records, raising concerns of enforced disappearances and preventing legal representatives and families from locating individuals.

Amnesty urges immediate closure and end to detention policies

Amnesty’s findings call for urgent action. The organization urged the closure of "Alligator Alcatraz", an end to Florida’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and a halt to the Trump administration’s "criminalization of migration."

"These findings are a wake-up call," said Mary Kapron, a member of Amnesty’s research team. "The treatment of people inside these immigrant detention centers is cruelty, hard stop. The medical neglect, filthy and inhuman conditions, and dehumanizing punishment, in some cases amounting to torture, is abhorrent."

A spokesperson for Governor DeSantis dismissed the report as politically motivated, claiming: "None of these fabrications are true… Running these allegations without any evidence whatsoever could jeopardize the safety and security of our staff and those being housed at Alligator Alcatraz." Still, Amnesty insists the evidence, compiled through direct interviews, site visits, and corroborated testimonies, highlights a human rights crisis in US immigration detention.

Day-to-day operations at Krome are managed by Akima Global Services LLC, a for-profit contractor with a $685 million ICE contract signed during the final months of President Joe Biden’s administration. Neither the company nor ICE responded to Amnesty’s findings.

Amnesty International’s report concludes with a call for the US government and Florida officials to take immediate action to protect detainees and end abusive detention practices that violate international human rights law.