Raúl Suárez Herrero, a 59-year-old deported former detainee, was allegedly kept confined by immigration detention officers inside a cage slightly larger than a phone booth for approximately 15 hours at the “Alligator Alcatraz” ICE detention site in Florida, according to an interview with Noticias Telemundo’s “Ahora 360” and NBC News.
Did You Know? The phone booth-sized cages at the Ochopee, Florida, detention camp measured 7 feet, 9 inches high and 4 feet, 3 inches square, according to details documented in a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report following an unannounced January visit.
Raúl Suárez Herrero’s Allegations of Confinement at Alligator Alcatraz
Suárez stated that he was forced into the enclosure around 1 p.m. and removed at about 5 a.m. the following morning after praying out loud for an ill young man who suffered an epileptic seizure while waiting to be registered at the camp. According to Suárez, help for the man took too long, prompting him to pray aloud for the young man’s life as he used to do at his evangelical church. Suárez alleged that two guards forced him to stand up, asked where he was from, grabbed and dragged him to the small cell, and kicked him in the leg so hard he thought it was broken. He stated he received no medical treatment or evaluation after the confinement, which left him psychologically “shattered.”
Facility staff told inspectors that the cages served as “calming areas” where immigrants could de-escalate, and have time alone, maintaining that no one spent more than two hours inside them. Facility records cited in the OIG report stated that the average time people spent in the smaller metal fencing cages was 59 minutes and 27 seconds, with 79 people held between July 17, 2025, and Jan. 18. However, Suárez disputed these accounts, stating that “everybody lied” and that he could not leave or request to exit the enclosure, where he feared snakes on the ground and endured mosquitoes in the Everglades swampland.
Watchdog Findings and Official Responses
The allegations follow a Sept. 11 report from the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General confirming the use of the restrictive spaces. “The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment,” the report stated. In December, Amnesty International issued its own report detailing the use of the small cages after interviewing detainees and touring the facility, concluding that the conditions amounted to torture. Alex Lafranconi, a spokesman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—whose administration built the facility as part of a push to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown—dismissed criticism by describing the enclosures as a confinement area for violent criminal aliens.
A DHS spokesperson rejected claims of inhumane conditions as categorically false and stated that no detainees were beaten or abused, noting that the facility provided medical, dental, and mental health services, three daily meals evaluated by certified dietitians, clean water, and access to phones. Although the DHS indicated that the inspector general’s recommendations had been administratively closed, the OIG reported that the administration did not address its 10 recommendations, which included discontinuing the use of the small metal enclosures entirely.
Background and Deportation to Mexico
Originally from Cuba and in the U.S. since he was 12 years old, Suárez was detained by ICE on July 16, 2025, during an annual check-in. He had been ordered removed from the U.S. in 2000 following a prison sentence stemming from a plea agreement on a drug charge, but was released and told to check in annually because Cuba was not accepting U.S. deportees at the time. After a federal judge extended a removal deadline, DHS deported Suárez to Mexico on Feb. 11, closing the case. Reflecting on his removal after more than four decades living in the United States, Suárez told NBC News, “I was raised my whole life there. I’m bilingual and everything. I went to school there and everything. And everything happened from one moment to the next.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the dimensions of the small cages at Alligator Alcatraz?
According to interviews and watchdog reports, the enclosures measured 7 feet, 9 inches high and 4 feet, 3 inches square.
What reason did Raúl Suárez Herrero give for being placed in the enclosure?
Suárez stated he was forced into the cage after praying out loud for a young man who suffered an epileptic seizure while waiting to be registered at the detention camp.
When was Alligator Alcatraz shut down?
The detention facility in the heart of the Everglades was shut down in June.
How do you view the balance between security measures and human treatment standards in temporary detention facilities?
Keep reading