The already infamous ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention centre in Florida has been compared to a “dog cage” amid concerns over conditions there.

Once destined to be the world’s largest airport, the facility has instead become a symbol of the White House’s determination to deport migrants from America which it says do not have a right to be in the country.

One detainee described feeling “in a state of torture” while a family member of another said “not even sunlight gets in”.

Supporters of President Donald Trump’s harsh stance on immigration have praised the new detention centre, in particular how natural obstacles in the surrounding Everglades such as alligators make escape difficult.

But for critics, it’s a dehumanising place that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to run each year.

Stories from inside Alligator Alcatraz

“It’s like a dog cage,” says detainee Rafael Collado, speaking to reporters on Tuesday over the phone from inside the facility.

In the comments, reported by Sky News’ US sister outlet NBC News, he said that a combination of floodwater from recent storms, limited access to showers and poor sanitation have caused him to get fungus on his feet.

He said detainees are stripped naked every time they are moved to a different cell and there was not a set schedule for him to take his blood pressure medication.

At this point, he said he was being told by a guard to hang up and ended the call.

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Meanwhile, Mexico is seeking the repatriation of 14 nationals that are being held at the centre.

Mexican father Martin Gonzalez told local radio station W that his sons, Carlos and Alejandro, were now held in the detention centre.

“It’s really bad. The facility is completely closed, not even sunlight gets in,” Mr Gonzalez said. “The lights are on 24-7, so they don’t even know if it’s day or night.”

Another detainee, Juan Palma, spoke to NBC Miami from inside Alligator Alcatraz on Monday.

“I feel like my life is in danger,” Mr Palma, who is Cuban, said.

He described feeling “in a state of torture,” being swarmed by mosquitoes during his sleep and unable to tell night from day because the facility’s fluorescent lights are always on.

US government denies accusations

US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, denied all allegations of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and at immigration detention centres across the nation.

She told NBC: “All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.

“Ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of individuals in our custody is a top priority.”

The US and Japan have agreed a trade deal days ahead of the latest tariff deadline set by Donald Trump.

Under the terms of the agreement, rather than all Japanese goods being hit with a 24% tax on entry to the US, they will instead be subject to a 15% tariff.

Significantly, and unlike the US-UK deal, there is no cap on the number of Japanese cars subject to the agreed lower tariff. The levy on cars and car parts has been brought down from 25% to 15%, making it the first country to secure a reduction in the blanket 25% rate on vehicles.

Cars make up more than a quarter of all Japan’s exports to the US.

Japanese steel and aluminium are still subject to a 25% tariff.

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It’s just over a week until the 1 August pause on tariffs is due to end, itself a six-week extension to the 9 July 90-day freeze US President Trump announced in April.

It’s seen a win for all parties as Japan is a major trading partner of the world’s largest economy.

To make the deal happen, Japan agreed to a $550bn (£406bn) investment package of loans and guarantees from Japanese government-affiliated institutions in key sectors like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

Japan will also increase purchases of US agricultural products such as rice.

Market reaction

Markets welcomed the news.

In the US, the value of a dollar ticked up, and in Japan, the benchmark stock exchange, the Nikkei, gained sizably, and closed up more than 3.5%.

The index is comprised of many major carmakers, including Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi, which all rallied following the news.

Other Asian stock indexes closed up, including Korea’s Kospi, which rose nearly 0.44%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, which increased more than 1.6%, and Thailand’s SET index, which was up more than 2.3%.

A former Kentucky police officer has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for using excessive force during the botched drugs raid that killed Breonna Taylor.

Brett Hankison’s 10 shots did not hit anyone – but he is the only person at the scene charged over her death in 2020.

The sentence comes despite the US Department of Justice recommending he should not be locked up.

District judge Rebecca Grady Jennings disagreed, arguing that not imprisoning him would minimise the jury’s verdict.

She said she was “startled” people weren’t hurt by his excessive shooting. Hankison’s shots narrowly missed a neighbouring family after they pierced the walls of Ms Taylor’s apartment.

Ms Taylor, 26, was killed in March 2020 when Louisville officers carried out a “no-knock” warrant and broke down her door.

Her boyfriend thought it was someone breaking in and fired a single shot in self-defence, hitting one officer in the leg.

Three officers responded with 32 shots, six of which struck and killed Ms Taylor.

She was hit in her hallway by bullets from two officers, but neither was charged after prosecutors said they were justified in returning fire.

It later emerged police were actually searching for an ex-partner of Ms Taylor – an alleged drug dealer – who did not live at the address.

Her death, along with other killings of black people in 2020 including George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, sparked protests around the US and the world.

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On Monday, Hankison, 49, was sentenced to 33 months with three years of supervised probation.

He won’t be locked up immediately and it will be for the US Bureau of Prisons to decide when and where he will be imprisoned.

A statement from Ms Taylor’s family said: “While today’s sentence is not what we had hoped for – nor does it fully reflect the severity of the harm caused – it is more than what the Department of Justice sought. That, in itself, is a statement.”

Three other former police officers who weren’t at the scene have been charged with crafting a falsified warrant but have not gone to trial.