ORLANDO, Fla. - Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) released a statement Monday after a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report detailed the conditions detainees at a now-shuttered Florida immigration detention center were kept in.
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“Today’s report confirms what we already knew: what happened at Alligator Alcatraz was disgusting, inhumane, and a stain on Florida’s history,” Frost said. “I saw those conditions with my own eyes.”
The defunct center closed in June 2026 after operating for a little less than a year since it first opened in July 2025.
READ: Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ ICE detention center to shut down, report says
“I went to Alligator Alcatraz twice, and before both visits, I was specifically told to see ‘the cage’ in the recreation area — including that there had been blood inside it,” Frost said in a statement. “Both times, I was assured the cages were no longer being used. Now we know that wasn’t true.”
The detail reports that detainees were held in outdoor metal cages as small as 16 square feet for extended periods of time.
In August 2025, Federal Judge Kathleen Williams, from South Florida, halted any type of construction at Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades.
The move came after a month’s long legal battle between the Federal Government and environmental groups.
Since even before the detention facility started operating, Alligator Alcatraz faced backlash, especially when it came to the potential impact to the native land.
READ: Construction at Alligator Alcatraz now on hold
“This does not end with Alligator Alcatraz. People in ICE custody across America are still facing horrific conditions,” Frost said. “I will continue conducting oversight at facilities across Florida and demanding answers.”
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