President Donald Trump announced on Sunday, May 4, 2025, via his Truth Social platform that he is directing the Federal Bureau of Prisons, along with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz, the infamous former federal prison in San Francisco Bay.
The president stated the facility would be “substantially enlarged” to house “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders,” whom he described as the “dregs of society” responsible for “misery and suffering.”
READ ALSO: President Trump says he will not be seeking a third term
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” Trump wrote. “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.”
He emphasized that the reopening would serve as a “symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” driven by his frustration with “radicalized judges” who insist on due process for deportees, which he claimed could lead to “millions of trials.”
READ ALSO: Trump announces new progress in Russia–Ukraine peace talks after meeting in Rome
Alcatraz closed in 1963 due to its high operating costs—nearly three times that of other federal prisons—once housed notorious criminals like Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
