In September 2025 reports from Miami Herald revealed that by late August, around two-thirds of the 1,800 immigrants held at the facility in July were missing from the online database maintain by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Over 1,200 immigrants detained at the Alligator Alcatraz facility in Florida have disappeared from official records during the process of being transferred or deported. Of the missing detainees, approximately 800 have no record at all in the database, while 450 are listed with no location and the instruction to “call ICE for details “.
This situation is called an “administrative disappearance ” because of the lack of information and transparency. Detainees have been deported before their bond hearings due to the lack of information and transparency. There have been reports of serious medical incidents, and some hospitals have refused to acknowledge that the detainees were ever there, leading to families believing their loved ones might have died. According to The Guardian, the facility has faced lawsuits over environmental concern and complaints from civil right groups about the denial of confidential communication with lawyers. The facility was in the process of being closed due to the federal environmental law violations, leading to the relocation or deporting of the detainees.
The Alligator Alcatraz faced numerous of lawsuits over legal access and human rights concerns, including allegations of unsanitary conditions, extreme heat, and overcrowding. The federal judged ruled that the facility could not be expanded and no new detainees could be brought in. There have been allegations of detainees being neglected medical attention. The facility was promoted by the Trump administration as a model for expanding detention infrastructure. The facility is called “Alligator Alcatraz” because it’s surrounded by alligators and other dangerous wild life, making escape difficult. Some detainees have reported only receiving one meal a day, receiving small food portions, or having access to tainted water.
