Oklahoma senator applauds Alcatraz move: ‘I don’t believe in keeping them comfortable’
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) applauded President Trump’s order to reopen the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, saying he doesn’t believe in keeping prisoners comfortable.
Mullin joined Fox News on Monday, just after Trump declared the historic prison off the shore of San Francisco should be reopened. The Oklahoma senator called for Alcatraz and Rikers Island in New York to be East and West Coast hubs for prisoners.
“Let's have [Rikers] and let's have Alcatraz both open. So, we've got the East Coast and the West Coast both covered and put our most notorious criminals in both of them,” Mullin said.
He argued that putting the country’s most notorious criminals in the two prisons would help people “understand we’re a nation of laws again, unlike what we had underneath” former President Biden’s administration.
“I’m all about it,” Mullin reiterated. “When we want to start talking about criminals being punished, I don’t believe in keeping them comfortable.”
“I want them to regret the crime that they have committed,” he continued. “And President Trump is committed to making sure that we enforce our nation’s laws again.”
While Alcatraz has been closed for more than 60 years, Trump announced on Sunday that America has been “plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat” criminals.
He said he was directing the FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the Bureau of Prisons to reopen a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz to house the country’s most “ruthless and violent” offenders.
The infamous prison sits less than 2 miles offshore of San Francisco and was first built in the mid-19th century. It was a federal prison from 1934-64 and is now overseen by the National Park Service.
The Bureau of Prisons notes that Alcatraz closed due to soaring costs. It was estimated $3 million to $5 million was needed for restoration and maintenance to keep the prison open, not including daily operating costs. It was nearly three times more expensive than other federal prisons.