RAICES Bulletin: Alligator Alcatraz Cages Headed to San Antonio
By RAICES Public Affairs Director Javier Hidalgo, Esq.
TL;DR The private company building a new $173 million ICE detention center in San Antonio recently confined people in 18-square-foot metal cages at the now-closed Florida facility known as “Alligator Allicatraz,” according to a DHS report. This unprecedented practice reflects a broader strategy to normalize cruelty, raising grave concerns about the severe health and safety risks this new center will bring to the local community.
WHAT TO KNOW
Issue: A DHS Inspector General report found that "Alligator Alcatraz," a recently closed Florida ICE facility, violated detention standards by confining noncitizens in 18-square-foot metal cages. The watchdog noted this unprecedented practice posed severe health and safety risks. The same private company that operated this facility is contracted to run a new ICE detention center in San Antonio.
Rationale: Officials used metal enclosures to discipline noncitizens, justifying the harsh conditions as necessary to remove undocumented individuals from communities. ICE uses this same rationale for its $173 million San Antonio center. While halting expansion in many other locations, ICE continues pushing forward with the San Antonio facility.
RAICES Impact: Headquartered in San Antonio, RAICES and its clients will be directly impacted by this new facility. An increased ICE presence exacerbates the fear, confusion, and chilling effects already harming the community. Furthermore, expanded detention capacity will likely result in more detained clients and a surge in demand for RAICES' legal services.
Community Impact: ICE detention is a civil, not criminal, system. Therefore, individuals placed in these "small metal enclosures" as discipline were never accused, tried, or convicted of a crime. Subjecting noncitizens to such conditions pressures them to abandon their legal cases and fade into the shadows. Additionally, these centers harm entire communities—citizens and noncitizens alike—by diverting massive amounts of public funding into the pockets of private prison companies.
Related Legal Battles: Facing intense criticism, legal challenges, and a $1 million daily operating cost, Florida officials shuttered Alligator Alcatraz last summer. The fallout continues, with two facility guards recently facing battery charges in Collier County for allegedly striking a detainee. Legal action has proven effective at stalling ICE expansion, especially when environmental or community protections are violated. Federal courts also consistently rule punitive detention practices—not unlike using metal enclosures for discipline—unlawful civil rights violations, providing a strong basis for future litigation.
Broader Immigration Strategy: The use of metal enclosures is part of a systemic strategy to normalize cruelty and dehumanize noncitizens. ICE's massive $173 million investment in a new San Antonio facility highlights a broader national agenda: rapidly expanding mass detention to bypass humane oversight, accelerate deportations, and punish those seeking refuge.
