Trump Orders Alcatraz Reopening as Part of Federal Prison Overhaul

President Donald Trump has announced plans to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the infamous former prison located on an island in San Francisco Bay. The facility, which closed in 1963 due to deteriorating infrastructure and high operational costs, would be rebuilt under Trump’s directive as part of a broader push to revamp the federal prison and immigration detention system.

In a post on his Truth Social site Sunday evening, Trump wrote that, “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. 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. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“That is why, today,” he said, “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.”

Reopening Alcatraz would present significant logistical and financial challenges, as all supplies would need to be transported by boat to the remote island. Still, the administration views the move as a symbol of its tougher stance on incarceration and immigration enforcement.

REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! 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. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate… pic.twitter.com/u1jOCMXeW5

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2025

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