Staff from the Federal Bureau of Prisons visited the infamous site this week under instructions from Donald Trump
Trump officials visited the infamous Alcatraz this week as part of a plan to return the island to a federal prison.
David Smith, the superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA), confirmed that officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) visited Alcatraz to assess the feasibility of reopening the site.
Talking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Smith added that they planned to return, saying: “They have been out here. They’ll be coming out again to do assessments of the structure.”
The notorious prison has been closed for over 60 years after Robert F Kennedy ordered it shuttered in 1963 amidst space concerns and multiple escape attempts.
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It has served as something of a tourist attraction in the intervening years, with visitors to San Francisco often considering it a “must see” and taking boat trips out to the island and its accompanying museum because of its hold on the popular imagination.
But Trump seems determined to reopen the facility as a prison for “the most ruthless offenders” after a long post to his social media –despite reservations from locals and wider critics.
Former speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the idea, remarking: “The president’s proposal is not a serious one,” while Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener raged that Trump, “wants to turn Alcatraz into a domestic gulag right in the middle of San Francisco Bay.”
Despite many pointing out the huge financial costing of restoring the site to its original purpose, BOP director William Marshall told Trump’s daughter–in–law Lara Trump on her new Fox News show this week, “we absolutely think we can get it done.”
“When you think of Alcatraz, you think of Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field, those types of facilities … you just get that kind of feeling about Alcatraz when you think of those historical venues,” he added.
The controversial plan is part of the administration’s wider push to reopen at least five previously closed prisons, but Alcatraz is by far the most high profile.
The prison was known as “The Rock” and housed some of America’s most notorious criminals over the years, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
Despite the strong currents and cold waters that surround it, escape attempts were common. 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes during the 29 years it was open.
Nearly all were re-caught or drowned.
The site has been the subject of several Hollywood films, including Escape From Alcatraz with Clint Eastwood and The Rock with Sean Connery.
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