Insiders reveal the horrifying fate of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ inmates who tried to escape… and the hell inside

The new ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center has been billed as the ultimate deterrent for those attempting to enter the US illegally.

But now reports from inside the facility suggest that its remote location and proximity to deadly reptiles are not the only things inmates should be concerned about. 

The first migrants at the facility, who arrived July 3, say they have been forced to bathe in toilet water and are being held in freezing cold tents, as they constantly battle ‘elephant-sized’ mosquitos.

Inmates described rotten food, ‘inhumane’ conditions and insects ‘the size of hands’ crawling all over the facility, located deep in the swamps of the Florida Everglades, approximately 50 miles west of Miami.

Here’s what we’ve learned about the daunting facility from inmates, experts, politicians and more.

Torturous conditions

One detainee, Cuban musician Leamsy Isquierdo, claims the center’s roughly 400 inmates are only given one meal a day, and that it’s often infested with maggots.

Isquierdo told CBS News detainees have no way to speak to their lawyers.

Reports indicate dire conditions for both detainees and staff at the new migrant detention facility in Florida, called Alligator Alcatraz. Pictured: President Donald Trump, Governor Ron Desantis and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem touring the facility last week

One detainee, Cuban musician Leamsy Isquierdo, claims the roughly 400 people held at the facility are only given one meal a day – and it comes with maggots

The migrant detention center is located deep in the swamps of the Florida Everglades, approximately 50 miles west of Miami

‘There’s no water to take a bath, it’s been four days since I’ve taken a bath,’ Isquierdo said.

‘They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants.’

Three detainees reported pest infestations, with one telling his wife that grasshoppers ‘the size of his hand’ were invading their tents, along with the largest mosquitos he has ever seen, the Miami Herald reports.

‘They’re not respecting our human rights… We’re human beings; we’re not dogs,’ Another detainee told CBS. ‘We’re like rats in an experiment. It’s a form of torture.’

The facility, built on the airfield known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, will have an initial capacity of about 3,000 detainees, according to officials.

It was built in eight days and features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet of barbed wire and 400 security personnel. It also includes portable showers and toilets.

Lawmaker’s concerns 

State representative Anna Eskamani told the Daily Mail her office has been receiving reports that there is no running water at the facility. One particularly concerning report said detainees had been using toilet water to bathe themselves. 

Eskemani and three other state lawmakers tried to visit the facility on Thursday. They were denied access, but she said she still got a taste of the inclement surroundings.

‘The mosquito situation is out of control,’ she said. ‘This is a swamp, it’s not designed for humans to be detained there, or for people to work there.’

Eveling Ortiz, whose boyfriend Vladimir Miranda is detained at the facility, told NBC Miami that one detainee was taken to the hospital because his face was swollen from so many bites.

Health fears

Durland Fish, professor emeritus of epidemiology at the Yale University School of Public Health, told the Daily Mail on Wednesday that neurological virus-carrying mosquitos in the area are of great concern.

‘You can get bitten like 50 times in a minute and its really difficult to be outside with mosquitos fighting you… Especially in the summer time and especially this year,’ said Fish, who has studied the specific location of the facility, Big Cypress Swamp.

‘If you put a bunch of people in this area, there’s a big chance that somebody can get infected with some of these viruses.’

State representative Anna Eskamani told the Daily Mail her office has been receiving reports that there is no running water at the facility. Eskemani and three other state lawmakers tried to visit the facility on Thursday and were denied access

The detainees arrived at the facility just as concerns grew over flooding caused by thunderstorms this week

Republican officials and President Trump have touted the alligators that would attack any would-be escapees

The mosquito-borne viruses in the area include St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis and the Everglades virus, which is the most common.

Fish said the area is inhabitable without some kind of mosquito-control program, and he doesn’t think the officials in charge of the facility ‘realize what the risk is’. 

Environmental issues

Mosquito-control would likely mean the use of insecticides which, according to Fish, would ‘have a huge environmental impact.’

He recommends against risking this impact, and suggests officials reconsider the location of the facility.

‘Anywhere but the Everglades’ would be a better option, Fish told the Daily Mail.

‘The Everglades is a national treasure… it’s all protected… this would be unprecedented,’ he added.

While Republican officials and President Donald Trump have touted the alligators that would attack any would-be escapees, environmental experts are concerned how the center will affect the ecosystem – including those very same alligators. 

Workers install a sign reading ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ at the entrance to a new migrant detention facility. The first detainees arrived on July 3

The facility, built on airfield known as the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, will have an initial capacity of about 3,000 detainees

Environmental groups failed to stop the facility’s opening, but Fish believes the issue of mosquito control ‘might give them a stronger cause to oppose the center’.

Disaster concerns

Aside from the alligators, experts say the real danger in the area comes from its unforgiving swamp weather, particularly during the summer months. 

The facility is located at a place prone to frequent heavy rains, which caused some flooding in the tents last week during a visit by President Trump to mark its opening. 

Experts have expressed concern it does not meet required hurricane codes, even though the site sits just west of Miami-Dade county, a state-designated high-velocity hurricane zone. They claim the site itself is also at risk for the high-speed weather that comes with these storms.

The state’s emergency management director, Kevin Guthrie, has said the facility building is ‘a fully aluminum frame structure rated for winds of 110 miles an hour’. Last year, winds reached 180 mph in the area during Hurricane Milton.

However, Anthony Abbate, a professor and director of the MetroLAB at Florida Atlantic University’s School of Architecture, told The Washington Post that’s not enough.

‘The 110 mile an hour wind design hasn’t existed in Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992,’ he said. ‘Nowhere in the state of Florida is 110 acceptable, according to the Florida building code.’

Officials’ response

DeSantis and other state officials say locating the facility in the rugged and remote Florida Everglades is meant to act as a deterrent.

The Everglades is home to millions of alligators, meaning any migrants who escape will likely find themselves vulnerable to the apex predators.

DeSantis named the facility after the notorious federal prison built on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, which was considered inescapable thanks to its position surrounded by the icy and shark-filled waters of San Francisco Bay.

Florida’s Division of Emergency Management told DailyMail.com the claims of inhumane conditions are ‘false.’

Their statement said: ‘Detainees have access to potable water from on-site tanks refilled by 6,000-gallon trucks. Each individual is issued a personal cup they can refill at any time, and bottled water is provided at meals. Tanks are regularly sanitized, flushed, and tested to ensure water quality. Full-size showers are available daily with no restriction on bathing water.

‘Detainees receive three meals per day plus the option of a late evening meal upon request, and there is working air conditioning throughout the facility.

‘Detainees have access to regular phone and video calls with their attorneys or families.’

Eveling Ortiz, whose boyfriend Vladimir Miranda is detained at the facility, told NBC Miami that one detainee was taken to the hospital because his face was swollen from so many mosquito bites

Following reports of the fire conditions at the center, the Department of Homeland Security has denied claims of inhuman living conditions.

‘It’s SHAMEFUL that the fake news media continues to peddle the false narrative of criminal illegal aliens convicted of rape, homicide, and child sex crimes,’ the agency wrote in a post on X.

‘ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.’

‘All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with lawyers and their family members.’