Trump orders reopening of notorious Alcatraz prison after 60 years to lock up America’s ruthless ‘dregs of society’
DONALD Trump has proudly announced that he is directing his government to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ”.
“America’s most ruthless and violent offenders” will be housed in the long-shuttered prison just off San Francisco, California, says the US president.
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Sunday evening: “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering.
“When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm.
“That’s the way its supposed to be.”
“That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”
When Trump returned to the White House on Sunday night, he explained this idea emerged after his frustrations with “radicalized judges” who have insisted those deported receive due process.
Trump said Alcatraz has long been a “symbol of law and order. You know, it’s got quite a history.”
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons said that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders”.
The spokesperson did not immediately answer questions from The Associated Press about how practical or feasible the reopening of Alcatraz would be.
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat whose district includes the island, wrote on X: “It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction.
“The President’s proposal is not a serious one.”
Such a move would likely be expensive as the prison was closed in 1963 due to crumbling infrastructure, as well as the high costs needed to repair and supply the island facility.
The prison, dubbed “The Rock”, is surrounded by strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters that make it virtually inescapable.
Within the 29 years it was open, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes, according to the FBI.
Nearly all were caught or did not survive the attempt.
America’s most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone and bank robber George Machine Gun Kelly, have been locked up in Alcatraz.
Alcatraz Island is now a major tourist site operated by the National Park Service that has over 1.4 million visitors each year.
The prison is also a designated National Historic Landmark.
The Bureau of Prisons currently has 16 penitentiaries which perform the same high-security functions as Alcatraz.
Trump’s order to rebuild Alcatraz comes after he has been clashing with courts over sending accused gang members to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador – without due process.
In January, Trump revealed plans to send up to 30,000 illegal immigrants to detention facilities in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In March, the US president began to deport hundreds of alleged gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
The US president shared videos showing accused members of the Tren de Aragua gang being shoved into the prison by heavily armed cops.
One Venezuelan man was even arrested and deported to the prison as a result of his tattoos being mistakenly interpreted as gang symbols, his family has claimed.
Trump’s Home Secretary Kristi Noem was filmed touring the CECOT.
In the video, Noem gave a stern warning: “If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally: Don’t even think about it.
“If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States.”