"Alligator Alcatraz" violates US and international law
- Genocide Watch
- Aug 23
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 27
By Jack Budlow and Amber Madden-Doyle
Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay
Genocide Watch Special Report
‘Alligator’ Alcatraz
August 2025
Genocide Watch is alarmed by the ongoing human rights violations occurring at the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention facility in Florida. A US District Court Judge has ordered the detention facility closed due to the government's failure to meet environmental impact requirements. So the rights of alligators and panthers have been recognized. But "Alligator Alcatraz" should be shut down because of its violations of basic human rights in both US and international law.
Conditions: People held at Alligator Alcatraz are faced with inhumane conditions. Basic needs are not met. Food portions are so small that inmates experience symptoms of starvation. The hastily assembled facility is doing a poor job of protecting inmates from the extreme heat of the Everglades. Fresh water is scarce due to the poor infrastructure of the facility. The toilets— shared by up to 32 people each—often clog, rendering them unusable. They erupt close to living quarters. The staff often takes hours to clean up the mess.
Heavy rains have already caused dangerous flooding. The approaching Florida hurricane season threatens the lives of the people held there. Mosquitoes have overtaken the facility. Prisoners are sprayed with mosquito repellent only once, upon arrival. Thereafter they face a torturous daily battle against mosquitoes that make it difficult to eat, shower, and sleep. Exposure to mosquitoes and fecal matter, and lack of access to hygiene makes the prison a fertile ground for the spread of disease.
The conditions of Alligator Alcatraz are violations of international human rights law. The right to food means that a state is obligated to “respect, protect, and fulfill” the right of prisoners to adequate food. The small amount of food provided to prisoners violates this basic human right.
UN General Assembly resolution 45/111 details the obligations of a state to its prisoners. “Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation.” Prisoners at Alligator Alcatraz face systematic neglect in their lack of access to doctors. They are also denied adequate hygiene facilities maintain their own health care.
Grounds of Detention: President Trump has stated that the facility is reserved for “deranged psychopaths” and “the most vicious people on the planet awaiting deportation” and "menacing migrants”. By falsely portraying the prisoners as career criminals, Trump is simply lying. Over 250 detainees committed no offense except a civil (not criminal) violation of immigration laws.
The ICRC notes that “systematically resorting to the detention of irregular migrants, regardless of their individual personal circumstances, is in contradiction with the right to liberty and security of person – one of the most fundamental human rights. Detention should be a measure of last resort and non-custodial measures should always be considered first.”
Detainees have a legal right to be informed of the reason for which they are detained. Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz receive no written charges detailing the grounds for their detention.
Legal Access: The UN’s Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers prescribe the duty to provide all prisoners with access to lawyers. Detainees at Alligator Alcatraz are denied any access to lawyers to represent them. No lawyers are even permitted to enter the facility. The United States District Court for the District of Miami has upheld these illegal restrictions.
UN Human Rights Council resolution 31/31 details safeguards to prevent torture during police
custody and pretrial detention. It requires “permitting prompt and regular medical care and legal counsel at any stage of detention and visits by family members.” Many Alligator Alcatraz detainees do not know where they are. Their families often do not know if they are even alive.
Prisoners in federal custody must be held without discrimination based on race. According to the testimony of Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, who visited Alligator Alcatraz, the largely Hispanic and Black population held at the prison were arrested because they fit profiles based on the color of their skin.
Freedom of Religion: Detainees are being denied their right to freedom of religion. Detainees report having their Bibles confiscated. A prison officer told a detainee that his “right to religion did not apply in the facility”. Prisoners are denied access to pastors. The American Civil Liberties Union states that detainees “are barred from practicing their religion”.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, guaranteed by international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The right does not disappear in detention. Detainees must be permitted to pray and worship, and receive visits from priests, pastors, imams, and other religious representatives. They have the right to possess scriptures and religious objects. Alligator Alcatraz is violating this most basic human right.
The current dehumanization, inhumane treatment, and forced deportation of migrants in the USA violates both the United States Constitution and international law. The Trump administration must stop its violation of the fundamental human rights of detainees at “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“Alligator Alcatraz” must be closed immediately.
