Trending Now - Florida Prison Guards Accused of Assaulting Inmates Over Phone Access
WHO:
ABC News - Katherine Blankenship, lawyer for two detainees at the facility.
ABC News - U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell, who issued a preliminary injunction.
ABC News - U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat who visited the detention center.
ABC News - Florida Department of Emergency Management, which did not respond to inquiries.
WHAT:
ABC News - A lawyer stated that guards "began taunting the detainees" before becoming aggressive and that one detainee was "punched in the right eye, thrown to the floor and beaten by several guards."
ABC News - A photo taken during a video call almost a week after the incident showed one detainee with a "bruised eye."
ABC News - The declaration included in a court filing accused state and federal officials of failing to comply with a federal judge's preliminary injunction ordering access to "timely, free, confidential, unmonitored and unrecorded outgoing legal calls."
ABC News - The judge's order also mandated that facility officials must provide "at least one operable telephone for every 25 people held in the facility."
ABC News - Guards at the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center allegedly beat and pepper-sprayed detainees.
ABC News - Detainees were targeted after complaining about non-functioning phone access on April 2nd, 2026.
ABC News - One detainee was punched in the face, thrown to the floor, and beaten by several guards, resulting in injuries to his head, shoulder, and arm.
ABC News - Another detainee had a wrist broken during the incident.
ABC News - Phone service was restored the day after the incident without explanation.
ABC News - A court filing accused state and federal officials of failing to comply with a federal judge's order regarding detainee phone access.
WHERE:
ABC News - The Everglades facility was built "last summer" (2025) at a remote airstrip by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
ABC News - The detention center is located in the Florida Everglades, referred to as "Alligator Alcatraz."
ABC News - The facility was built at a remote airstrip in Florida.
WHEN:
ABC News - The incident involving the guards occurred on April 2nd, 2026.
ABC News - The federal judge's preliminary injunction was issued in March 2026.
WHY:
ABC News - The lawsuit claimed that detainees' First Amendment rights were being violated due to restricted phone access.
ABC News - Detainees complained about not having phone access, which is their primary means of communication with family and attorneys.
ABC News - State officials cited security and staffing reasons for challenges in providing phone access.
HOW:
ABC News - A guard "put his knee on the detainee's neck while restraining him" during the incident.
ABC News - Guards allegedly taunted detainees before becoming aggressive and threatening them.
ABC News - A guard restrained a detainee by putting his knee on the detainee's neck during the incident.
(UPDATED April 16, 2026 04:07 UTC)
A lawyer has reported that guards at the Everglades facility began taunting detainees before escalating to aggression, with one detainee allegedly punched in the eye and beaten by multiple guards, resulting in visible bruising during a video call nearly a week later. The lawsuit claims that state and federal officials have failed to comply with a federal judge's order ensuring detainees have access to unmonitored legal calls, which is a violation of their First Amendment rights. This facility, built last summer by Governor Ron DeSantis' administration, has also been criticized for not providing enough operable telephones for the number of detainees held there.
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(UPDATED April 15, 2026 21:18 UTC)
Guards at the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center in the Florida Everglades are accused of beating and pepper-spraying detainees after they complained about non-functioning phone access April 2nd. One detainee suffered injuries to his head, shoulder, and arm after being punched and thrown to the floor, while another had a wrist broken during the incident. A court filing has since claimed that state and federal officials failed to comply with a federal judge's order regarding detainee phone access, which was restored the day after the altercation without explanation.