Trump Orders Rebuilding, Reopening Of Notorious Alcatraz Prison To Keep ‘Most Ruthless, Violent Offenders’
Trump Orders Rebuilding, Reopening Of Notorious Alcatraz Prison To Keep ‘Most Ruthless, Violent Offenders’
In a post on his Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump wrote he is “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 the US’s “most ruthless and violent Offenders”.
President Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to rebuild and reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison, more than 60 years after it was shut down.
In a post on his Truth Social account on Sunday, Trump wrote he is “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 the US’s “most ruthless and violent Offenders”.
Speaking to reporters at the White House after a weekend trip to Florida, the president said the move was “just an idea I’ve had” in response to frustration with “radicalised judges” who, according to him, insist that deportees receive constitutional protections, Al Jazeera reports.
“It’s a symbol of law and order,” he said.
The announcement comes as Trump’s administration faces increasing legal challenges over the use of an 18th-century law to deport individuals without due process.
The law, originally enacted during wartime, has been used by the administration to justify deportations of alleged gang members and criminals.
Trump has also “repeatedly floated the legally dubious idea” of sending US citizens convicted of violent crimes to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, known as CECOT.
In a recent interview, the president said he “didn’t know” whether people in the US are entitled to due process rights. The US Constitution guarantees such rights under the Fifth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits states from denying “equal protection of the laws”.
Alcatraz, which operated from 1934 to 1963, was once regarded as the most secure prison in the United States due to its location on an island surrounded by frigid waters and strong currents.
While 36 men attempted to escape in 14 separate incidents, no successful escapes were ever officially recorded. Five prisoners are listed as “missing and presumed drowned”.
The facility was shut down due to crumbling infrastructure and high operational costs. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it was nearly three times more expensive to run than any other federal prison at the time.
Today, Alcatraz Island is managed by the National Park Service and attracts over a million tourists each year. It is also designated a National Historic Landmark.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat whose congressional district includes Alcatraz, criticised the proposal. “It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President’s proposal is not a serious one,” she wrote on X.
