Eric Schlosser on Gator Gitmo
The Atlantic, June 4, 2026
10+ years ago I read Schlosser’s absolutely terrifying book, Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety.
He’s now a contributing writer at The Atlantic, and today posted this article (gift link.)
Highlights:
“An investigation by Amnesty International found “a pattern of deliberate neglect designed to dehumanize” at the facility as well as the use of punishments that “may amount to torture.” Immigrants have described tents that flood with water when it rains, toilets that routinely overflow into living areas, mosquito infestations, faulty air-conditioning, inadequate food, limited access to medical care, random beatings by guards, indiscriminate use of pepper spray in poorly ventilated areas, and a pervasive climate of fear. Televisions, radios, cellphones, newspapers, and most personal belongings are prohibited. The interiors of the tents are brightly lit 24 hours a day, making it hard to sleep. Immigrants are routinely shackled when they leave the tents, wearing handcuffs connected to leg irons and a chain.”
“Florida has refused to disclose exactly how many hundreds of millions of dollars Alligator Alcatraz has cost. I contacted the state to discuss spending on the facility but received no reply. Enough has been disclosed to enable some basic math: It would have been less expensive to buy each of the men detained at Alligator Alcatraz his own one-bedroom condo in Orlando and pay for a personal, full-time guard to keep an eye on him.”
“Florida was spending about $1.2 million a day to run the facility—and, at times, as much as $3 million a day. The number of immigrants detained there has fluctuated, from a low of about 100 to a peak of almost 1,500, making per-capita spending hard to establish definitively. A conservative estimate of how much it costs to hold a single immigrant at Alligator Alcatraz for a year is about $500,000. By comparison, Florida spends $30,000 a year to house a convicted criminal in a state prison.”
“A local, previously obscure, portable-toilet firm named Doodie Calls transports about 45,000 gallons of wastewater from the facility every day. According to documents released through a public-records lawsuit, Florida paid Doodie Calls more than $92 million for a six-month period of Alligator Alcatraz’s operation. The state projected that Doodie Calls would be paid $480 million for about two years of work. By comparison, the construction of a sewage-treatment plant for a city of 10,000 people costs about $5 million.”
“According to a document posted by the state, CRS has charged Florida unusually large sums to hire staff for the detention center. Including regular hours and overtime, CRS billed the state $496,080 to pay the annual salary of a camp manager, $959,088 for an assistant camp manager, and $687,856 for a warden. The highest-paid official at the Florida Department of Corrections is its director, Ricky Dixon. His salary is $203,434.14.”
“It’s hard to imagine the federal government agreeing to pay more to hold immigrants in Alligator Alcatraz than to imprison terrorists at a maximum-security prison. If the Democrats regain control of the Senate or the House of Representatives, details of the facility’s management may finally receive proper scrutiny. An accounting is due, and it’s not just about the money.”
That’s all for now. You have too many books, magazines, newspapers, emails and Substacks to read, so today’s post is one and done.
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"The Atlantic" does such good work. Imagine how much worse things would be without investigative reporters. Thanks for posting.
Sigh. Apparently it is still operating, despite discussions of shutting it down. Now the "pot" of money the Senate just passed will go not towards improving anything there, but to set up more warehouses infit for habitation. There must be a big Doodie Calls lobby.