Trump says he will reopen Alcatraz Prison

In a social media post Sunday, President Donald Trump said that he is ordered the Bureau of Prisons to restore and reopen Alcatraz, the iconic old jail, as a site to "house America's most ruthless and violent offenders."

“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 president wrote in a post on Truth Social. "The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE."

Alcatraz Island, a historic military stronghold and jail in San Francisco Bay, was converted into a federal penitentiary in 1934 and housed more than 1,500 prisoners who were "deemed difficult to incarcerate elsewhere in the federal prison system," according to the National Park Service.

According to a National Park Service report, it was first judged unsuitable for use as a government institution due to its tiny size, remote location, and lack of fresh water. However, Sanford Bates, the Bureau of Prisons' director in 1933, subsequently described it as "an ideal place of confinement for about 200 of the most desperate or irredeemable types." The next year, it was officially inaugurated as a federal prison.

 The prison captivated the public imagination as the home of the "worst of the worst" until 1963, when it was closed and converted into a major museum attraction.

In addition to holding the gangster known as “Machine Gun Kelly” and Al Capone — whose multiple indictments Mr. Trump often mentioned on the campaign trail to describe himself as unfairly persecuted — Alcatraz is most famous for the escape of three men in 1962. They were never discovered, and it's uncertain if they survived the swim from the island, which is more than a mile from shore in freezing water with strong currents. It is presently managed by the National Park Service as a tourism site, with around 1.2 million tourists each year.

As he returned to the White House later Sunday, the Trump told reporters that it was "just an idea" he had because of "radicalized judges" who want to ensure migrants are given due process when deported.

“I guess because so many of these radicalized judges, they want to have trials for … every single person that’s in our country illegally,” he said, adding, “that would mean millions of trials.”

Trump described Alcatraz as "a sad symbol, but also a symbol of law and order." And you know it’s got quite a history, frankly, so I think we’re going to do that.”

The Bureau of Prisons did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Sunday night.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat whose district contains Alcatraz, criticized the president's plan as "not a serious one."

“Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary more than sixty years ago. It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President’s proposal is not a serious one,” the congresswoman wrote Sunday on X.

When questioned about the president's order, Governor Gavin Newsom's spokesperson chuckled. “Looks like it’s Distraction Day again in Washington, D.C.,” Izzy Gardon, the governor’s director of communications, said.

Mr. Gardon pointed out that it had been more than six decades since Alcatraz operated as a prison, and that turning it back into a facility to house inmates would take many years and significant federal investment at a time when the president has said he wants to slash spending.