New Facts: DHS OIG confirms phone booth cages used

A Department of Homeland Security inspector general report confirms that migrants at the now‑closed Alligator Alcatraz detention center were confined in small metal enclosures roughly the size of a phone booth, about 18 square feet. People were kept there from several minutes to nearly two hours, and staff used them as calming areas.

The watchdog had not encountered such cages at other migrant facilities and found they posed risks to health and safety. Descriptions differ on whether they were outdoors or indoors; when used outside they left people under direct sun, high heat, and biting insects.

The report says the practice did not meet humane treatment standards and documents wider failures at the site, including cramped living space and limited access to showers, clean water, and legal information. Nearly 80 detainees were placed in the enclosures.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources