President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his administration will reopen and expand Alcatraz, a notorious former prison on an island near San Francisco, California.
In a post on his Truth Social page, Mr. Trump stated, “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, we did not hesitate to imprison the most dangerous criminals and keep them away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it should be.”
Mr. Trump stated that he has directed the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”
“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order and JUSTICE,” according to him.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told the Associated Press that the agency “will comply with all Presidential orders.” The spokesperson did not immediately respond to the AP’s questions about the practicality and feasibility of reopening Alcatraz, as well as the agency’s role in the future of the former prison, given the National Park Service’s control over the island.
Mr. Trump’s social media post comes as he has clashed with the courts over his attempts to send accused gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process. Mr. Trump has also expressed a desire to send American citizens there and to other foreign prisons.
Mr. Trump, who returned to the White House on Sunday night, told reporters that he came up with the idea after becoming frustrated with “radicalized judges” who insist on due process for those being deported.
What was Alcatraz prison?
Alcatraz Prison, located on Alcatraz Island just over a mile north of San Francisco, was a maximum-security, minimum-privilege prison established in 1934 to deal with the “most incorrigible inmates in federal prisons,” according to the Bureau of Prisons.
The Bureau also wanted to “show the law-abiding public that the Federal Government was serious about stopping the rampant crime of the 1920s and 1930s,” according to its website.
According to the BOP, well-known criminals such as Al Capone, George “Machine-Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis (the first “Public Enemy No. 1), and Arthur “Doc” Barker served time at Alcatraz. However, the majority of the inmates were not infamous gangsters, but rather those who refused to follow the rules and regulations of other federal institutions.
Alcatraz had a capacity of 336 prisoners, but the average population was only between 260 and 275 at any given time.
During its 29-year operation, 36 men participated in 14 separate escape attempts. Of these, 23 were apprehended, six were shot and killed, and two drowned.
The prison closed on March 21, 1963, because it was too expensive to operate, according to the BOP.
After it closed, it was essentially abandoned. In 1969, a group of Native American Indians occupied Alcatraz for 18 months, claiming it as their land.
Can people visit Alcatraz?
Following its closure, the prison was frequently depicted as “America’s Devil’s Island” in books and films, including “The Rock” starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage and Clint Eastwood’s 1979 film “Escape from Alcatraz”.
Congress established the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972, and Alcatraz Island became part of a new National Park Service site. The island first welcomed tourists in the fall of 1973 and has since become one of the most popular National Park Service sites.
Alcatraz Island is still open to tourists today.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat whose district includes the island, questioned the possibility of reopening the prison after so many years.
“It is now a popular national park and major tourist destination. “The president’s proposal is not serious,” she wrote on X.