After raising red flags with his administration’s plans to deport and jail U.S. citizens abroad, Donald Trump is reopening one of the country’s most notorious prisons.
On Sunday, the president announced plans to “rebuild and open” Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, which sits on an island off the coast of San Francisco and has been out of commission since 1963, and operated by the National Park Service since 1972.
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! 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,” he wrote on Truth Social. “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. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”
Trump added, “That is why, today, I am 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 America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders. 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!”
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A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told the Associated Press that they “will comply with all Presidential Orders.”
Open from 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz (aka The Rock) was notorious for its seclusion in the cold, harsh, shark-infested waters of the San Francisco Bay. At least 36 men attempted to escape during that time, nearly all of whom were captured or died. The prison has since been featured in such films as Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Escape from Alcatraz (1979) and The Rock (1996), also serving as a filming location in numerous other projects, as well as a tourist attraction over the decades.
In January, Trump issued an order for the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to reopen a detention facility at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba to hold up to 30,000 immigrants deported from the U.S., whom the POTUS described as “the worst criminal illegal aliens threatening the American people.”
The Trump administration has most recently faced scrutiny for sending more than 200 alleged gang members from Venezuela to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador without due process.
“The homegrowns are next, the homegrowns. You’ve got to build about five more places,” said Trump last month of plans to jail U.S. citizens abroad.
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