Trump stated that “the reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE” in a post that was shared on Truth Social on Sunday evening.
Trump has directed the Bureau of Prisons to work with the FBI, Homeland Security, and Department of Justice to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz.
The notorious institution allegedly housed legendary criminal Al Capone, who said it would “house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”
Following Trump’s multiple legal disputes with the government over his attempts to send suspected gang members and illegal migrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, the order was issued.
Trump will be able to use the maximum security prison, which was shut down in 1963, to get around the court decisions that prohibit him from carrying out the mass deportation plan.
“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,” he tweeted, seemingly hinting that illegal migrants would be the first to be imprisoned.
According to Trump, up to 30,000 of the “worst criminal aliens” will be housed in a prison facility that will be built in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Some courts have ruled that he must provide deportees with due process. In the event that legal problems arise, a revitalized Alcatraz might also address Trump’s suggestion that US citizens could be sent there and to other foreign prisons.
“The dregs of society, vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders, have plagued America for far too long and will only ever contribute misery and suffering,” he wrote.
“When our country was more serious, we didn’t think twice about locking up the most dangerous criminals and keeping them far away from anyone they could hurt.”
That is how things are meant to be. We will no longer put up with these repeat offenders who wreak havoc, bloodshed, and filth on our streets.
Alcatraz, a maximum security federal prison off the coast of San Francisco, was closed in 1963 after 29 years of operation.
The jail gained notoriety because of Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage’s performance in the 1996 movie The Rock, even though it housed a number of notorious inmates.
However, a significant factor in the decision to close it permanently was the cost of maintenance and restoration.
The Bureau of Prisons estimated at the time that it would have cost $3 million to $5 million to simply keep the doors open.
A spokesman at the time stated, “That amount did not include daily operating costs – Alcatraz was almost three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison (the daily per capita cost at Alcatraz was $10.10 in 1959 compared with $3.00 at USP Atlanta).”
This was the largest cost since all of the goods had to be brought in because Alcatraz was an island.
“Almost one million gallons of water had to be barged to the island each week because there was no fresh water source on the island,” the spokesperson stated.
“The Federal Government determined that constructing a new facility was more economical than maintaining Alcatraz.”
After US Attorney General Robert Kennedy announced and authorized Alcatraz’s closure, the prison’s population was progressively decreased. After that, the prisoners were moved to different federal prisons.
Alcatraz, which housed 1,576 prisoners at the time, was notorious for its unfavorable conditions.
A spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement issued on Sunday that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders.”
In a January post on X, Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr., proposed that Alcratraz be reopened, sparking rumors that he was behind the president’s most recent decision.
He responded to reports that Trump would send the worst offenders to Guantanamo Bay by saying, “Now this is a great idea.” “Perhaps we ought to reopen Alcatraz as well,” he continued.
Bank robbers Frank Morris, Clarence Anglin, and John Anglin used plaster dummy heads and human hair to fool the guards during their famous 1962 escape.
They were never found. Their daring escape sparked wild claims that they had landed and taken up new lives, but others think they perished in the icy waters and strong currents.
The brothers and Morris tunneled out of cells, slipped through ventilation ducts and an open utility door, and then fled on a makeshift raft into the shark-infested bay.
Before Alactraz permanently shut down, 36 prisoners made 14 separate escapes.
According to reports, 23 were captured, 6 were shot and killed in the attempt, 2 drowned, and 5 were never found.
Historic photos show life at the island-bound prison, also called The Rock, from the bare-bones cells to the bustling dining hall and the bulletproof main guard’s office.
One image shows a jail cook sitting still for the camera while a 1950s Christmas meal is sketched over her. For the festive lunch, inmates were given roast turkey, giblet gravy, candied sweet potatoes, raisin nut dressing, whipped potatoes, and bread with “oleo,” a substitute for butter.
After being incorporated into the newly created Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972, Alcatraz was designated a historical landmark in 1973.
Over 1.5 million people visit the former prison each year.
Audio tours of the main cell block and recreation yard, as well as the opportunity to walk past the island’s gardens and abandoned buildings, sell out almost every day, often weeks in advance.
