President Donald Trump has announced plans to bring Alcatraz, the infamous prison located in San Francisco Bay, back into operation, according to Fox News. In a statement posted Sunday evening on Truth Social, Trump called for the historic facility to be rebuilt on a larger scale and used to confine the country’s most violent and dangerous offenders.
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” Trump declared in his post. He criticized the current handling of repeat and violent criminals, writing, “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.”
Trump argued that in the past, America was more decisive in isolating its most dangerous criminals, and he insisted that such measures are necessary again.
“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,” Trump continued. “No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”
The president stated that he is instructing the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security to oversee the reopening and expansion of Alcatraz. The revamped prison, he said, would serve as a secure facility for “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”
Trump also took aim at what he called lenient judges and policies, saying, “We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally. The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Alcatraz, which first opened in 1934, was considered nearly impossible to escape due to its isolated location on a 22-acre island about 1.25 miles from the San Francisco shoreline. Over its 29 years of operation, there were 14 documented escape attempts, the most famous being the 1962 breakout by John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris. Their escape inspired the film “Escape from Alcatraz,” and their fate remains a mystery, although the FBI believed they drowned in the bay.
The prison once housed some of America’s most notorious criminals, including James “Whitey” Bulger, Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Robert Stroud (the “Birdman of Alcatraz”), and Alvin Karpis, known as “Public Enemy No. 1.” Alcatraz closed in 1963 due to the high costs of operating an island prison compared to mainland facilities.
Today, Alcatraz Island is a major tourist destination managed by the National Park Service, drawing visitors from around the world to learn about its past.
