Raúl Suárez Herrero, a 59-year-old former detainee, claims he was held in a small cage at an immigration detention facility in Ochopee, Florida, known as "Alligator Alcatraz." According to Suárez, he was confined for about 15 hours in a cage roughly the size of a phone booth, measuring 7 feet, 9 inches high and 4 feet, 3 inches square. He said he was locked inside after praying out loud for a sick young man during a check-in at the facility. Suárez described the cage as a place filled with fear of snakes and mosquitoes, where he couldn’t stretch out and got little sleep. He was locked in around 1 p.m. and released the next morning as daylight broke. Suárez, now in Mexico after being deported, told NBC News that he felt as if he had been in "hell." He described the cage as being in a recreation area where detainees usually took exercise time. He said he was kicked in the leg during his time in the cage and received no medical treatment afterward. His experience contrasts with a September 11 report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), which confirmed the use of small cages at the facility. The report called the use of such restrictive spaces "highly unconventional" and not in line with humane treatment standards. The OIG found that staff described the cages as "calming areas" for de-escalation. According to facility records cited in the report, the average time people were placed in the small cages was about 59 minutes, with no one held longer than two hours. Suárez disputed these claims, saying he was not allowed to leave the cage and that his confinement lasted far longer than two hours. He accused the facility's staff and officials of lying about the use of the cages. The OIG report noted that 79 people were held in the cages between July 17, 2025, and January 18, with none held more than two hours. The report also stated that detainees could leave the cages at any time by request or staff directive. Amnesty International released its own report on the facility, based on interviews with detainees and a facility tour, describing the use of the small cages as torture. When asked about Suárez’s allegations, the Department of Homeland Security did not directly address his case but rejected claims of "inhumane" conditions, calling them "categorically false." A DHS spokesperson said no detainees were abused and that the facility provided medical care, meals, and access to phones for family and legal contacts. The OIG report also noted that the administration had not addressed its 10 recommendations, including a call to stop using the small metal enclosures. The facility, located in the Everglades, was built by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as part of a state initiative to support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. A DeSantis spokesperson dismissed criticism of the cages, calling them a necessary measure for "violent criminal aliens" who cannot remain peaceful. Suárez, originally from Cuba and in the U.S. since he was 12, was detained by ICE in July 2025 during a routine check-in. He had been ordered removed from the U.S. in 2000 after a drug-related conviction but was released because Cuba was not accepting deportees at the time. He was told to check in annually with ICE. After years of living in the U.S., Suárez was recently deported to Mexico after legal efforts to get him released failed. A federal judge had given the government until late January to either remove or release him, but the deadline was extended. On Feb. 11, DHS deported Suárez, and the case was closed.