Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ tenure is being consumed by scandal on his way out the door, and a new report from the Department of Homeland Security epitomizes the cruelty and incompetence his GOP administration will be remembered for.
A report from the DHS inspector general’s office released last week outlines disturbing violations of the agency’s standards at the Florida immigration facility that Republicans — aided by sickening propaganda reminiscent of the Jim Crow era — marketed as “Alligator Alcatraz.” The detention center was one of several that Trump and his allies sought to brand as a harsh destination for immigrants.
This report comes shortly after the release of a grand jury report that found the DeSantis administration used a charity founded by the governor’s wife to misuse public money for political purposes, adding to the stench of scandal the governor will carry with him when his term ends in January.
According to the DHS report, detainees were held in “highly unconventional” small metal enclosures — cages, basically — that facility staff called “calming areas.” Human rights groups previously flagged these enclosures, which were part of an inquiry launched in March by Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Dick Durbin of Illinois.
Per the report:
Between July 17, 2025, and January 18, 2026, [the facility] confined 79 detainees in small metal enclosures — each offering about 18 square feet of floor space — for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly 2 hours, a practice unlike any OIG team has observed in ICE facilities. The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment.
Similarly, the report says detainees were afforded less than half the living space they should have been given:
[The facility] did not provide detainees with sufficient living space — less than half of what is required — creating cramped conditions for detainees who spent most of their time in their housing units. The lack of living space risks detainees’ well-being and may negatively impact their physical and mental health.
The report also found that detainees were deprived of clean drinking water, as well as access to legal materials they could use to facilitate their release, typical recreation resources, in-person family visitation and a commissary.
Fundamentally, the report affirms concerns from human rights experts — including those on the United Nations’ Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination — about the MAGA movement’s racist rhetoric toward immigrants fueling abuses. And in this case, the onus falls heavily on DeSantis’ shoulders, given his gushing support for the facility. And his attorney general, James Uthmeier, bears responsibility, too, given that he reportedly came up with the extremely costly idea.
DeSantis, a failed 2024 presidential candidate and potential candidate in 2028, has been accused of basically trying to fashion himself into a Trump clone. He has certainly made Florida into a safe haven for MAGA extremism.
But “Alligator Alcatraz” may come to represent DeSantis’ severe miscalculation when it comes to Trumpian cosplay, since it is arguably one of the most revolting symbols of a brutal anti-immigration crusade opposed by most Americans.
And in that sense, the governor’s attempt to downplay the report is noteworthy. On Monday, he said he hadn’t read the DHS report but dismissed its findings nonetheless, saying: “I think some of this stuff is going to be characterized in a certain way, no matter what.” DeSantis also said the facility was designed to “exceed the federal standards,” an assertion undercut by the report.
As DeSantis’ governorship comes to a close, his latest scandals — about misused money and violations at “Alligator Alcatraz” — show he has managed to mimic Trump. Unfortunately for him, he has mimicked things Americans seem to despise: Trump’s corruption and obsessive anti-immigrant cruelty.
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