Detainees report alleged uprising at 'Alligator Alcatraz': 'A lot of people have bled' [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Fri 29 Aug 2025 12.37 EDT
Last modified on Fri 29 Aug 2025 13.00 EDT


Guards at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration jail deployed teargas and engaged in a mass beating of detainees to quell a mini-uprising, it was reported on Friday. The allegations, made by at least three detainees in phone calls to Miami’s Spanish language news channel Noticias 23, come as authorities race to empty the camp in compliance with a judge’s order to close the remote tented camp in the Everglades wetlands.

The incident took place after several migrants held there began shouting for “freedom” after one received news a relative had died, according to the outlet. A team of guards then rushed in and began beating individuals indiscriminately with batons, and fired teargas at them, the detainees said.

“They’ve beaten everyone here, a lot of people have bled. Brother, teargas. We are immigrants, we are not criminals, we are not murderers,” one of the men reportedly told Noticias 23 in a call. The detainees claimed a fire alarm was sounding continuously, and a helicopter was heard circling overhead.

Reports of “inhumane” conditions and brutality at the camp, where migrants are held in metal cages as they await deportation, have become commonplace. Donald Trump and Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, celebrated its harsh environment as they toured the facility together when it opened last month.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/29/alligator-alcatraz-uprising-florida-immigration