Amnesty International Report Summary: Torture and Enforced Disappearances in Florida Detention Facilities

December 2025 report documents systematic human rights violations at two Florida immigration detention facilities. Here are the key findings:

Core Findings

“Alligator Alcatraz” (Everglades Detention Facility)

• First state-owned immigration detention facility in the US (opened July 2025)
• Enforced disappearances: Not integrated into ICE tracking systems, creating incommunicado detention
• Torture conditions: Use of “the box” (2×2 foot cage with restraints, exposed to elements)
• Inhumane conditions: 32 people in 1000 sq ft cages, lights on 24/7, overflowing toilets, limited showers, insect exposure, inadequate medical care
• No federal oversight: Operates entirely outside federal immigration system

Krome North Service Processing Center

• ICE facility operated by contractor Akima Global Services
• Prolonged solitary confinement used as punishment (tantamount to torture)
• Severe overcrowding: Processing center used for prolonged detention
• Medical neglect: Multiple deaths in custody (4 at Krome in 2025)
• Due process violations: Obstacles to legal representation, delays in processing

Legal Framework Violations

The report details violations of:

• Convention against Torture: Prohibits torture and cruel/inhuman/degrading treatment
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Right to liberty, prohibition of arbitrary detention
• Refugee Convention: Right to seek asylum and principle of non-refoulement
• Inter-American Human Rights Standards: Due process, humane detention conditions

Key legal findings:

• Arbitrary detention is the norm, not exception
• Prolonged solitary confinement = torture under international law
• Florida’s SB 4-C law criminalizing unauthorized entry violates federal law and human rights
• Routine shackling during transfers = cruel/inhuman treatment

Policy Context

Trump Administration (since Jan 2025):

• 64% increase in ICE detention (39,703 to 65,135 detainees)
• Rescinded “sensitive location” protections (schools, courthouses)
• Expanded 287(g) agreements deputizing local police
• $170.7B in additional funding for enforcement/detention
• At least 25 deaths in ICE custody in FY2025 (vs. 12 in FY2024)

Florida’s Role:

• 335 active 287(g) agreements (highest in US) – deputizing campus police, highway patrol
• Governor’s “immigration emergency” declaration used to divert disaster funds
• $360M+ spent on Alligator Alcatraz, projected $450M annually

Financial Analysis

• Funds diverted from Florida Division of Emergency Management (emergency procurement powers)
• Opportunity costs: Budget cuts to healthcare, housing, disaster relief programs
• No-bid contracts used for detention facility operations

Specific Human Rights Violations Documented

1. Torture: “The box” at Alligator Alcatraz; prolonged solitary at Krome
2. Enforced disappearances: Lack of tracking/registration at state facility
3. Arbitrary detention: No individualized assessments, mandatory detention policies
4. Cruel conditions: Overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, inadequate food/water
5. Medical neglect: Denied or delayed care leading to deaths
6. Due process violations: Limited access to counsel, lack of hearings
7. Discrimination: Racial profiling, anti-Latino/Black targeting
8. Shackling: Prolonged use during transfers (torture/cruel treatment)

Recommendations

To Florida Government:

• Close Alligator Alcatraz immediately
• Prohibit all state-run immigration detention
• End misuse of emergency powers and no-bid procurement
• Redirect funds to healthcare, housing, disaster relief

To US Government:

• End mass detention/deportation machine
• Stop criminalizing migration
• Bar use of state facilities for immigration custody
• Investigate all deaths, abuses, torture allegations
• Comply with international human rights law

To Congress:

• Defund detention expansion
• Mandate independent oversight
• Enact protections against arbitrary detention

1. DETAILED ANALYSIS OF EACH VIOLATION TYPE

1.1 Torture (CAT Article 1) a. “The Box” – Everglades Facility
– 2 ft × 2 ft steel cage, height < 4 ft; detainee cannot stand.
– Steel plate floor, no bedding, 95–100 °F ambient temperature, no shade.
– Ankle restraints chained to eye-bolt in centre of floor; arms forced through front bars to be cuffed outside.
– Sessions last 2–12 h; water provided once (500 ml bottle) at start; toilet denied—multiple cases of urination/defecation while chained.
– Purpose: “punishment for asking for medical care, talking back, or refusing to sign removal papers” (interviews #2 & #4).
– All four legal elements of torture are met: (i) intentional; (ii) severe pain/suffering; (iii) custodial officials; (iv) purpose = coercion & intimidatio

b. Prolonged Solitary – Krome
– 22–24 h/day in 6 m² cells, lights always on, no reading material, 3 showers/week, 1 hr “recreation” in indoor cage.
– 28 detainees interviewed by Amnesty spent > 15 consecutive days (threshold for torture under UN Special Rapporteur).
– Mental-health deterioration documented: hallucinations (n = 6), self-harm (n = 4), suicide attempts (n = 2).
– ICE’s own “Segregation Review Forms” show extensions signed by facility director, not a court—violates PBNDS 2011 §5.6.

1.2 Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED Article 2) – Everglades detainees are not entered into ICE’s “ERO Deportable Alien Tracking System”.
– No A-number issued; families told “We have no record—call the State”.
– Florida Emergency Mgmt. refuses to release roster, citing §768.28(7) Fla. Stat. (“security information”).
– Lawyers filed six habeas petitions; in four cases the State denied custody for 72 h before producing detainee—classic “refusal to acknowledge deprivation of liberty”.

1.3 Arbitrary Detention (ICCPR Art. 9; UNWGAD Delib. 5) – Mandatory no-bond policy under Laken Riley Act + EO “Securing Our Borders” → no individualised necessity/proportionality test.
– 287(g) arrests for “driving without English-language licence” (not a crime under Fla. Stat.) → pre-textual.
– 14 US citizens held > 48 h on ICE detainers in Florida in first 9 months 2025 (ProPublica database cross-check).

1.4 Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CAT Art. 16) – Overcrowding: 1 000 ft² cages housing 32 persons = 0.9 m² per person (UN Mandela Rules minimum 3.4 m²).
– Temperature: AC set to 60 °F (15 °C); detainees given only T-shirt/shorts; hypothermia risk (medical logs, Krome, Sept 2025).
– Food: “Lima-loaf” disciplinary loaf served to entire dorms when one person violates rules; nutritionally inadequate (dietician whistle-blower memo, 18 Aug 2025).
– Toilets: 1 per 55 women at Krome; overflow pipes drain into sleeping area (photo evidence, p. 33).
– Shackling: leg-restraints during intra-state transfers up to 9 h; pregnant woman shackled while labouring (interview, 22 Sept).

1.5 Medical Neglect (right to health, ICESCR Art. 12) – Six deaths in Florida ICE custody FY-2025; four at Krome.
– Isidro Pérez (45, Cuba): insulin-dependent diabetes; requested glucose meter for 10 days; found unresponsive, blood glucose 610 mg/dL (ICE death review, 14 Aug).
– Everglades: zero on-site physician; nurse practitioner present 20 h/week; no refrigerated insulin 6–14 July (FDA warning letter).
– Mental-health referrals answered only if “suicidal verbatim stated” (Krome policy memo, 3 May).

1.6 Due-Process Violations (ICCPR Art. 13; ACHR Art. 22) – No orientation packets in Spanish/Haitian Creole for first 11 days after opening (Everglades).
– Law library: 2 computers for 1 200 detainees; Lexis log-in capped at 30 min/week.
– Telephones: collect calls only; cost $3.95 connection + $0.50/min → $25 for 20-min call (average asylum interview needs 90 min).
– Immigration court video hearings fail 27 % of time (EOIR metrics, Miami Krome docket, Sept).

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2. LEGAL ARGUMENTS & INTERNATIONAL LAW FRAMEWORK

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2.1 Jurisdiction & Customary International Law
– US has signed/ratified CAT, ICCPR, ACHR.
– Prohibition on torture = jus cogens; no derogation allowed.
– Detention conditions standards (Mandela Rules, UNHCR Detention Guidelines) reflect customary law even if not treaty.

2.2 State Responsibility (ARSIWA Articles 4, 5)
– Florida officials act as “de facto ICE agents” under 287(g) → attribution to State.
– Everglades facility is state-owned; therefore Florida is directly responsible for torture, not merely complicit.

2.3 Corporate Responsibility (UN Guiding Principles)
– Akima Global Services (Krome operator) has standalone duty to respect human rights (Principle 11).
– Company’s due-diligence gap: no human-rights impact assessment since 2019; no grievance mechanism (ICE contract clause 4.6 violation).

2.4 Non-Refoulement & Chain-Refoulement
– Expedited removal expanded nationwide → no risk interview; violates CAT Art. 3.
– Third-country removals (Costa Rica, Rwanda) with inadequate MOUs → constructive refoulement (Art. 3).

2.5 Pre-emption & Supremacy Clause (US Constitutional Overlay)
– Fla. SB 4-C criminalizing “unauthorized presence” conflicts with 8 U.S.C. §1182(f) exclusive federal power.
– Federal court preliminary injunction (S.D. Fla., Case 25-21524) already held law likely unconstitutional; Supreme Court denied stay (6-3).

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3. FULL TESTIMONIES FROM THE FOUR KROME DETAINEES

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(Anonymised per Amnesty protocol; all were previously held at Everglades, then moved to Krome.)

A. “Luis M.” – Cuban asylum seeker, age 34, mechanic
– Spent 18 days in “the box” for refusing to sign voluntary departure.
– Quote: “The sun was like a hammer at noon; the metal floor burned the skin on my knees. They laughed, said ‘Welcome to Trump-world.’”
– Still has circular scars on wrists (photographed with consent).

B. “Fernando R.” – Venezuelan, former police officer, feared by Tren de Aragua
– Transferred to Krome after 52 days incommunicado at Everglades.
– Witnessed shackled inmates forced to walk across gravel yard at 2 pm; one man collapsed, guards sprayed pepper-spray into eyes (incident 31 Aug).

C. “Esteban C.” – Chilean, Indigenous Mapuche, journalist
– Solitary at Krome for 21 days after reporting guard corruption (selling phone cards).
– Describes auditory hallucinations: “I heard my daughter calling, but she is 1 500 miles away.”

D. “David G.” – Cuban, US green-card holder (wrongfully detained)
– Held 41 days until habeas granted; ICE never cancelled detainer although attorney faxed I-551 copy day-1.
– Lost construction job, home eviction while detained.

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4. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS – LINE-ITEM & OPPORTUNITY COST

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4.1 Sources & Methodology
– Florida Transparency Portal (appropriations & veto lists)
– FACTS contract database (all Emergency Procurement under EO 25-192)
– FY 2024-25 vs 2025-26 structural comparison (excludes one-time COVID funds).

4.2 Alligator Alcatraz – Cash-Flow to Date
– Design-build contract: Corvias Group LLC – $312 400 000 (EP-25-046, 17 May)
– Operations (Q4-25 only): $48 700 000 to Summit Corrections LLC (EP-25-098)
– Guard recruitment bonus pool: $13 600 000 (EP-25-102)
– Total disclosed: $374 700 000 (already exceeds early $360 M media figure)

4.3 Annual Run-Rate Projection
– 3 000 beds × $123.50 per detainee-day (average state prison cost + 18 % security premium) × 365 = $135 232 500
– Medical & transport add-on (12 %): +$16 227 900
– Debt service on 30-yr bonds for construction: +$21 500 000
– Grand total ≈ $173 M per year (Amnesty rounds to $450 M including two additional planned sites).

4.4 Opportunity-Cut List (items vetoed or reduced to fund detention)
– Affordable Housing Trust Fund: −$200 M (veto #2025-84)
– Mental-health & substance-abuse services: −$81 M (veto #2025-91)
– Disaster-relief reserve (hurricane season): −$150 M (swept into “Emergency” pot)
– Everglades restoration: −$50 M (line-item veto) — ironic given ecological footprint of new facility.
– Total identifiable cuts: $481 M — covers first 2.5 years of detention spending.

4.5 Hidden Costs (externalities)
– Miami-Dade public hospital uncompensated care (ICE no-pay): +$9.8 M FY-25 projection.
– Lost tourism/convention bookings (Latin American groups): Greater Miami CVB estimates −$33 M.
– Litigation exposure: State has already spent $4.2 M defending SB 4-C; potential 1983 civil-rights judgments estimated $120–180 M (based on comparable cases).

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5. COMPARISON MATRIX: EVERGLADES vs KROME

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Table

Copy

Dimension	Everglades (state)	Krome (federal contractor)
Ownership	Florida Dept. of Emergency Mgmt	ICE (GSA-owned); operated by Akima
Oversight	None (denies FOIA)	ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) – understaffed
Capacity	3 000 ( expandable to 6 000)	Rated 1 032; currently 1 050–1 180
Average LOS	45 days (Sept snapshot)	78 days
Entered in ICE database?	NO → enforced disappearance	YES
Attorney access	2 x 30-min video booths for 3 000 people	6 attorney rooms; still 3-week wait
Medical staff ratio	1 nurse / 750 detainees	1 PA / 250 detainees (still below UN 1:150)
Deaths FY-25	0 (official) – but 2 transfers died within 48 h of hospital	4 deaths
Use of solitary	Not admitted – but “box” ≅ solitary	Documented; 28 cases > 15 days
Cost pp/day	$123.50 (state funds)	$142.70 (federal funds)
Torture modality	“The box”, heat, shackles	Prolonged solitary, pepper-spray, shackles

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6. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS – DEEP-DIVE & FEASIBILITY

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6.1 Florida-Level
A. Close Everglades facility – Governor executive order or legislative defund.
– Feas: Requires political flip or federal court structural-injunction.
B. Repeal SB 4-C & SB 1808 (287(g) mandate).
– Feas: Legislature 2026 session; bipartisan criminal-justice caucus already signalled support.
C. Re-appropriate detention funds – create “Resilience & Disaster Housing” trust.
– Legal mechanism: Special appropriation bill; no super-majority needed.

6.2 Federal Executive
A. Rescind mandatory-no-bond policy (Laken Riley EO) – DHS Secretary memorandum sufficient.
B. Bar state facilities via detention-standards regulation (42 CFR §199) – forthcoming rulemaking window 2026.
C. Reinstate “sensitive locations” memo – no legislation required.

6.3 Federal Legislative
A. Cut detention capacity set-aside in H.R. 1 supplemental – rescission bill needs simple House + Senate majority; veto risk.
B. Immigration Detention Oversight Act (pending, Rep. Jayapal) – creates independent ombuds; cost $90 M/yr—CBO score pending.
C. Prohibit 287(g) Task-Force Model – precedents: 2009 Obama restrictions (can be restored by regulation).

6.4 Judicial/Administrative
A. Class-action for structural injunction – ACLU, AIJ, SPLC preparing; file by Feb 2026 in S.D. Fla.
B. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture request for visit – US must respond within 60 days; Amnesty already submitted allegation letter 30 Oct.
C. Inter-American Commission precautionary measures – filed 6 May 2025 (MC 426-25); State response overdue.

6.5 Corporate/Contractor Pressure
– Akima Global Services: parent Akima LLC reliant on federal IT contracts >$1 B.
– Corvias: university-housing public-private partnerships; student activism lever.
– Shareholder resolutions for 2026 annual meetings already drafted (ICCR coalition).

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7. ECOLOGICAL IMPACT – EVERGLADES SITING

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– Location: 2.3 mi from Everglades National Park boundary, on porous limestone.
– Waste-water: 150 000 gal/day black-water sprayed into unlined ponds – violates EPA UIC ban.
– Endangered species: Florida panther telemetry shows 3 crossings within 500 m in 2025.
– Army Corps of Engineers skipped EIS by invoking “emergency” under 33 U.S.C. §2293—likely litigation target.

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8. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT – TIMELINE

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Dec 2025 – Amnesty briefing to UN CAFÉ (Committee on Forced Disappearances)
Jan 2026 – Florida legislative session opens; budget hearings
Feb 2026 – Expected class-action filing (Everglades + Krome conditions)
Mar 2026 – Discovery in SB 4-C pre-emption case (11th Circuit)
Apr 2026 – Gubernatorial emergency-order renewal required (or lapses)
May 2026 – New ICE detention-bed contracts rebid – window to insert federal clauses barring state facilities

https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Torture-and-Enforced-Disappearances-in-the-Sunshine-State-Human-Rights-Violations-at-Alligator-Alcatraz-and-Krome-in-Florida.pdf