More than 60 years after Alcatraz shut down, Donald Trump wants to bring the infamous prison back — and bigger than ever. In a Truth Social post Sunday, Trump called for the reopening and expansion of the island facility to house “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.” Alcatraz, now a major San Francisco tourist attraction drawing 1.5 million visitors a year, closed in 1963 due to high costs and crumbling infrastructure. But Trump sees the island as a symbol of tougher times: “When we were a more serious Nation… we locked up the most dangerous criminals far away from society,” he said. His directive, aimed at the Bureau of Prisons, DOJ, FBI, and Homeland Security, is part of a broader plan to overhaul federal detention policies and speed up deportations. Trump criticized “radicalized judges” for slowing the process and called for harsher detention of gang members and “criminal aliens,” including new facilities in Guantanamo Bay and even El Salvador. Reopening Alcatraz won’t be easy — or likely. The National Park Service manages the island, and Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi dismissed the proposal outright: “The President’s proposal is not a serious one.” Still, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders,” leaving the door — if only slightly — ajar
Donald Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz and reveals who will be sent there
