President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he intends to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the former federal prison on an island in San Francisco Bay, to detain the nation’s most dangerous criminals.
BREAKING: President Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison. pic.twitter.com/2uPL9XIPD6
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) May 4, 2025
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The statement was made in a Truth Social post and directed toward multiple federal agencies.
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” Trump declared in the post.
“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.”
In the message, President Trump criticized the current state of criminal justice and repeated his administration’s commitment to restoring law and order.
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“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 stated.
“No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”
Donald Trump gets off Marine One and examine WHY he will be opening Alcatraz.
Maybe he should put Nancy there? 🤣
pic.twitter.com/wF1vfqiCzy— Johnny Midnight ⚡️ (@its_The_Dr) May 5, 2025
Trump said he is instructing the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security to begin plans for a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz facility.
The revived prison, he said, would serve as a secure site for “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,” he continued.
“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
President Trump just called for the notorious Alcatraz prison to be restored and reopened.
He wants it to be reopened to house the most dangerous criminals in our country so that they literally cannot return to polite society to harm anyone ever again unless they swim through… pic.twitter.com/tV5GZNE5ml
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 4, 2025
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary originally opened in 1934 and operated for nearly three decades before being closed in 1963.
The facility was located on a 22-acre island approximately 1.25 miles off the coast of San Francisco, chosen in part due to its isolation, which made escape attempts extremely difficult.
Over the course of its operation, 14 known escape attempts were recorded.
The most well-known incident took place on June 11, 1962, when inmates Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin managed to escape their cells by chiseling through the rear walls and placing papier-mâché heads in their beds to mislead guards.
The FBI concluded the men drowned in the cold, rough waters, though their fate remains officially unknown.
That particular escape attempt was later dramatized in the film Escape from Alcatraz, starring Clint Eastwood.
The event also inspired the modern “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlon, where swimmers retrace the route the inmates would have taken toward the mainland.
Alcatraz housed a number of infamous inmates, including organized crime figures like Al Capone, James “Whitey” Bulger, and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
It also held Robert Stroud, known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, who was once listed as Public Enemy No. 1.
The prison was ultimately shut down in 1963 due to high operational costs and deteriorating infrastructure.
Since then, Alcatraz Island has been managed by the National Park Service and operates as a major tourist destination.
President Trump’s announcement signals a potential shift in how the federal government may approach the incarceration of violent repeat offenders under his administration.
No timeline has been released regarding when reconstruction of the facility might begin.
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