President Donald Trump said in a social media post Sunday that he is directing the Bureau of Prisons to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz as a place 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 reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” the president wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Alcatraz, located on an island off the San Francisco coast, operated as a federal penitentiary for nearly 30 years before closing in 1963 “because the institution was too expensive to continue operating,” according to the Bureau of Prisons’ website.
“An estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open. That figure did not include daily operating costs – Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison,” the website says.
It is now operated by the National Park Service as a tourist destination, welcoming approximately 1.2 million visitors a year.
