US President Donald Trump has said he plans to revive Alcatraz Island’s historic role as a maximum-security federal penitentiary.
The US requires a place for the “dregs of society,” Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday, as his deportation initiatives continue to face opposition in the courts.
Originally constructed as a military fortress off the coast of San Francisco, Alcatraz served as a correctional facility for nearly 30 years before its closure over six decades ago, subsequently transforming into a popular tourist destination.
Trump said he had instructed the Department of Justice “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,” Trump proclaimed, describing the impending conversion as a “symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”
Having campaigned for the presidency with a promise to deport illegal migrants, Trump has encountered resistance from the courts, which interpret his administration’s procedures as violations of due process rights.
Positioned in a remote location around 2km off the Californian coast, Alcatraz – often referred to as “the Rock” – is notorious for its supposed inescapability. Of 36 inmates who attempted to flee, none were confirmed to have succeeded, though five remain listed as “missing and presumed drowned.”
The structure atop the island was initially erected in the 1850s as a military citadel to safeguard San Francisco Bay. The Department of Justice assumed control in 1933, utilizing it as a prison until 1963. The culturally significant landmark, regarded as a symbol of governmental pushback against rampant crime in the early 20th century, was eventually deemed too expensive to maintain compared to similar facilities.
Today, Alcatraz stands as a designated National Historic Landmark, attracting over a million visitors annually, with the National Park Service overseeing its management. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose district includes the island, dismissed Trump’s announcement as “not a serious one.”
Later in the day, the president told journalists that reopening the prison was “just an idea I’ve had.”
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