4 December 11-17, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | PIERCING THE VEIL New report cites detainee torture at Alligator Alcatraz. BY ALEX DELUCA S ince Florida opened the controversial Alliga- tor Alcatraz immigra- tion detention site in the middle of the Everglades this past summer, migrants have re- ported inhumane and unsanitary conditions, including toilets over- flowing with feces, food infested with maggots, lack of access to at- torneys, and inadequate medical care, all among “stadium lights” that remain on permanently. But while detainees and advocates have long alleged harsh conditions at the remote facility, a new report suggests they may be far worse than previously known — in some cases rising to the level of “torture.” A new report from Amnesty International — based on a September 2025 visit to Miami, in which researchers interviewed local hu- man rights groups, detained migrants, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials — found that Alligator Alcatraz detainees had faced punishment and torture by being locked for hours at a time in what detainees described as a a two-by-two-foot, cage-like structure in the facility’s yard, known as the “box.” (A previous WLRN arti- cle about the “box” described the structure as a four-by-four-foot square.) “The use of the ‘box’ as a form of punish- ment at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ constitutes tor- ture,” the 61-page report from the international human rights group reads. Four men interviewed by Amnesty ex- plained how officials arbitrarily sent migrants to the “box” as punishment, shackling their hands and feet to the ground inside the cramped cage. The report describes the box as “an extremely small space that prevents sitting, lying, or changing position,” which, combined with high heat and humidity, a lack of water and sanitation, and exposure to harsh weather and insects, is “likely to cause severe physical pain and suffering.” The men told Amnesty that detainees were often left inside for hours at a time. According to the report, one man said he saw a fellow de- tainee locked in the structure for an entire day. “People ended up in the ‘box’ just for ask- ing guards for any- thing,” the report reads. “I saw a guy who was put in it for an entire day.” Another de- tainee described how officials used the box arbitrarily to punish those seeking help. “One time, two people in my cell were calling out to the guards, telling them that I needed my medication. Ten guards rushed into the cell and threw them to the ground,” he told Amnesty, according to the report. “They were taken to the ‘box’ and punished just for trying to help me.” Citing the United Nations (UN) Conven- tion against Torture, the report notes that an act qualifies as torture if it meets four criteria: intent, infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering, a purpose such as coercion or intimidation, and a degree of official in- volvement. Among other recommendations made to the state of Florida, Amnesty International calls on the state to “immediately end any use of out- door punitive confinement (‘the box’) or other disciplinary practices that constitute torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.” A spokesperson for Florida’s Department of Emergency Management, the state agency that has operated the facility, did not respond to New Times’ request for comment. Molly Best, a spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office, called the allegations “fabri- cations.” “In fact, running these allegations without any evidence whatsoever could jeopardize the safety and security of our staff and those being housed at Alligator Alcatraz,” Best wrote in an email to New Times. Upon further questioning, Best again pushed back, without providing information that refutes Amnesty International’s report. She asked that we in- clude her response in this story. “It doesn’t exist. How would you like me to provide evidence that it doesn’t exist?” she wrote in the email. “Do you have evidence that it DOES exist? Doesn’t feel like this story will be reported fairly or accurately at all.” It’s still unclear how many people are cur- rently detained at the facility, originally built to hold several thousand. By late August — af- ter a court ordered the site dismantled fol- lowing an environmental lawsuit — the Miami Herald reported that nearly two- thirds of the more than 1,800 men held there in July had effectively vanished from official records after leaving Alligator Alcatraz. The story noted that some may still be in- side because, unlike most immigration deten- tion centers, the state-run facility doesn’t reliably appear in ICE’s database. Yet despite the opacity, Best advised directing “questions related to individuals housed at Alligator Al- catraz” to ICE, which didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment. Florida also offers no system to identify people detained at the site. [email protected] President Donald Trump tours Alligator Alcatraz with Gov. Ron DeSantis and other public officials in July. DHS photo by Tia Dufour via Flickr | METRO | THE REPORT DESCRIBES THE BOX AS “AN EXTREMELY SMALL SPACE THAT PREVENTS SITTING, LYING, OR CHANGING POSITION.” activity would be shared externally. The suit casts the company’s conduct as far more invasive than routine web analytics, citing HIPAA regulations, Florida laws barring medical marijuana treatment centers from revealing confidential patient infor- mation, and state statutes that prohibit using someone’s personal identification and medical re- cords without authorization. Based on those allegations, the lawsuit ac- cuses Curaleaf of violating the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and Flori- da’s Security of Communications Act by “procur- ing” third-party vendors to intercept the contents of patients’ electronic communications with the site without the required all-party consent. Doe also alleges civil theft, arguing Curaleaf helped outside companies take personal and health data that has economic value, violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, for qui- etly embedding tracking tools that siphoned sen- sitive data for commercial gain, and “intrusion upon seclusion” (an offensive invasion of private affairs) for allowing outsiders to peer into confi- dential medical activity “in a way that would of- fend a reasonable person.” The complaint characterizes Curaleaf’s prac- tices as an “illegal scheme” exploiting protected health information to drive targeted marketing. Doe seeks to represent two overlapping groups: a nationwide class of medical marijuana patients who used Curaleaf.com, and a Florida- only class of residents who visited the site. The suit estimates that “many thousands” of people may be affected and argues that a class action is the most efficient way to determine whether Curale- af’s practices have violated federal and state law. The case lands amid growing scrutiny over how cannabis tech companies handle customer data. High Times recently reported that after a major industrywide breach known as the “Great Cannabis Hack” exposed the personal data of more than 380,000 cannabis consumers through several third-party vendors, Sweed, one of the vendors named in the complaint against Curaleaf, launched what it calls the cannabis in- dustry’s first “bug bounty program,” inviting eth- ical hackers to test its systems for vulnerabilities. Doe does not accuse Sweed of involvement in the alleged breach referenced in his Novem- ber complaint, but claims Curaleaf paid Sweed and other vendors to analyze patients’ personal data and browsing activity without consent. John Doe’s attorney, Michael Pineiro, declined to elaborate on the allegations. “We do not have any public comment,” Pineiro told New Times. NORML Florida executive director Karen Gold- stein said she was not yet familiar with the case, but pointed to an explainer by the cannabis plat- form Veriheal, noting that medical marijuana card status and related health information are gener- ally treated as HIPAA-protected medical re- cords that must be safeguarded accordingly. NORML Florida legal director Michael Minardi said it remains to be seen exactly what types of data Curaleaf shared and how courts will cate- gorize it. “I do not think I know enough to comment in detail. If there were a possible HIPAA violation, I would think it would have been added to the complaint,” Minardi wrote in an email to New Times. “Through discovery, they may find more information about exactly what data was shared. Because these are medical issues, everything should be HIPAA-compliant. Fundamentally, cannabis has to be taken out of the equation. A patient using cannabis should have the same right to have their medical information pro- tected as a patient using any other medication.” A federal judge in early November ordered Doe to file a disclosure statement under seal identifying himself by name. As of Tuesday af- ternoon, court records indicated Curaleaf had neither been served nor filed a response. Curaleaf did not respond to a message from New Times seeking comment. [email protected] Toking from p3
