The Office of the Inspector General’s 33‑page report, released Monday, documents that 79 detainees were held in cramped metal cages—each about 18 square feet—at the South Florida Detention Facility between July 17, 2025 and January 18, 2026, with some inmates confined for as long as 1 hour 50 minutes.
Photographs show the cages, roughly the size of a telephone booth, surrounded by chain‑link and concertina wire, placed on a patch of grass or turf within the facility’s eight windowless buildings.
Staff described the spaces as ‘calming areas’ intended to give detainees a moment to de‑escalate, but the report notes that the enclosure’s use may have functioned as a disciplinary measure, citing a 26‑minute confinement for non‑compliance with a lawful order.
Federal standards require a minimum of 75 square feet per detainee in dormitory housing, yet the report found average occupancy at 28 square feet, less than half the mandated space, a deficiency that could harm physical and mental health.
The facility closed on June 25 after the Department of Homeland Security transferred all detainees amid hurricane‑season concerns, and DHS has denied that the conditions violated federal rules, stating the center complied with the same standards used in previous administrations.
Advocates, lawyers, and families—such as the parents of a 22‑year‑old detained in the cages—have called for a congressional investigation, and lawmakers plan to hold a hearing on July 15 to review the Inspector General’s findings.