Ochopee, Florida - A federal watchdog group recently uncovered more details about the inhumane ways in which migrants were treated at the now closed Alligator Alcatraz detention center.

The inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently published a report regarding an unannounced inspection of the facility located in Ochopee, Florida.

The report revealed that records showed at least 79 instances between July 2025 and January 2026 in which detainees were placed in confined metal cages – about 18 square feet in size – for up to two hours at a time.

It also detailed how detainees were regularly kept in overcrowded areas, at times did not have access to clean water, and how inoperable telephones kept them from being able to reach attorneys and families. To make matters worse, the facility suffered from extreme insect infestations.

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Overall, the review concluded the facility did not comply with standards related to environmental health and safety, special management units, medical care, food service, personal hygiene, and recreation.

President Donald Trump opened the facility in his second term as part of his aggressive immigration agenda, which has seen him send federal agents to enact sweeps in Democrat-run cities and the building of detention facilities across the country.

While the president and his allies have insisted they are targeting migrants with criminal records, the majority of those detained have been found to have no record.

Alligator Alcatraz was closed in June, with Florida Governor and MAGA loyalist Ron DeSantis saying it had "served its purpose" by enforcing over 30,000 deportations.

The report comes after Amnesty International released a dossier in December that similarly detailed the facility's poor conditions and alleged human rights abuses.

At the time, a spokesperson for Governor DeSantis described the claims as "fabrications."

During a press conference on Monday, DeSantis said he did not read the report, but eschewed it for containing "accusations."

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He also claimed he and the facility would have faced scrutiny for its conditions "no matter what," even if they followed regulations, as such criticism is "built into the cake."

When his office was recently pressed about their denials by The Guardian, DeSantis' communications manager argued "the left-wing media wants to focus on a confinement area."

They went on to claim the cages "adheres to all federal standards for criminal confinement," but shamelessly added: "We'd make it even smaller if we could."