The radical Left has been trying to shut down Florida's immigration enforcement from day one.
They've thrown everything at Governor Ron DeSantis — from federal judges to environmental lawsuits to media hit pieces.
And Ron DeSantis had two words for Amnesty International's Alligator Alcatraz lies.
Amnesty International releases report accusing Alligator Alcatraz of "torture"
Amnesty International dropped a 61-page report this week claiming detainees at Florida's Alligator Alcatraz detention facility face "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" that in some cases amounts to "torture."¹
https://twitter.com/amnestyusa/status/1996629340314828896?s=20
The human rights organization interviewed four detainees who claimed they were placed in a two-foot-high metal cage called "the box" as punishment, sometimes for hours at a time exposed to Florida's heat and humidity.¹
They also alleged unsanitary conditions including overflowing toilets, poor quality food, and constant lighting.¹
Amnesty International demanded Florida shut down the facility entirely and called for investigations into what they termed "harrowing human rights violations."²
The report comes as Florida has ramped up immigration enforcement under DeSantis, with the state increasing detention capacity by more than 50% since the beginning of 2025.²
Florida handed out 34 no-bid contracts worth more than $360 million for Alligator Alcatraz between June and August.³
DeSantis fires back at "politically motivated attack"
DeSantis didn't let Amnesty International's allegations stand unchallenged.
His spokesperson Molly Best dismissed the entire report with two devastating words: "politically motivated."
"This 'report' is nothing more than a politically motivated attack," Best told reporters. "None of these fabrications are true."⁴
She went even further, warning that publishing unverified allegations "could jeopardize the safety and security of our staff and those being housed at Alligator Alcatraz."⁴
Best added that the DeSantis administration has fully investigated previous abuse allegations and found them to be "fabrications."⁴
The administration maintains that Alligator Alcatraz meets all federal detention standards.⁵
Look, this is the same playbook the Left always uses against conservatives who actually enforce immigration law.
They couldn't stop DeSantis from opening the facility in July after President Trump toured it personally.
A federal judge tried to shut it down in August, but Trump-appointed appellate judges blocked that ruling and allowed operations to resume in September.
Now they're trying again with Amnesty International — an organization that has spent decades attacking American border enforcement while ignoring actual human rights abuses in places like China and Iran.
The timing reveals everything you need to know about this report.
Florida just conducted Operation Tidal Wave in partnership with ICE — the largest state immigration enforcement operation in U.S. history that netted 1,120 arrests in a single week.⁶
DeSantis has deputized state troopers under 287(g) agreements, giving Florida more immigration enforcement officers than any state in the nation.⁷
He passed what he called "the toughest immigration enforcement laws in America" that eliminate in-state tuition for illegal aliens and mandate automatic death penalty for immigrants convicted of murder.⁸
The Florida Highway Patrol now conducts weekly deportation flights out of Tallahassee in partnership with ICE.⁹
And Amnesty International expects us to believe their concerns are about "human rights" rather than stopping the most aggressive state-level deportation program in the country?
Nobody's buying it.
The radical Left can't stand that DeSantis turned Florida into the tip of the spear for Trump's immigration agenda.
They hate that one governor showed the entire country how to actually enforce immigration law instead of just talking about it.
So they wheel out Amnesty International to make the same tired accusations they've leveled at every secure detention facility from Guantanamo Bay to the Southern border.
The difference is DeSantis won't back down like past Republicans who folded the moment a left-wing human rights group started screaming.
He knows what Amnesty International really wants — open borders, catch-and-release, and sanctuary cities where illegal aliens can disappear into American communities without consequence.
That's not happening in Florida.
¹ Richard Luscombe, "Detainees at 'Alligator Alcatraz' facing 'harrowing human right violations', new report alleges," The Guardian, December 4, 2025.
² Amy Fischer, "New Findings Reveal Human Rights Violations at Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' and Krome Detention Centers," Amnesty International USA, December 4, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Sommer Brugal, "Human rights org reports 'torture,' 'inhumane' conditions at Alligator Alcatraz," Axios Miami, December 5, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Results of First-of-Its-Kind Immigration Enforcement Operation," Florida Governor's Office, May 1, 2025.
⁷ "Governor Ron DeSantis Highlights Florida's Leadership on Immigration Enforcement," Florida Governor's Office, 2025.
⁸ "DeSantis: Florida now has 'toughest' immigration enforcement laws in the United States," FOX 35 Orlando, February 13, 2025.
⁹ "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Results of First-of-Its-Kind Immigration Enforcement Operation," Florida Governor's Office, May 1, 2025.
