Donald Trump thinks outside the box. The president has sent illegal alien criminals captured by ICE to the El Salvador megaprison CECOT. He’s suggested that Greenland should become part of the United States—maybe Canada too.
So why not re-open the notorious island prison in the San Francisco Bay and send our worst offenders there? He thinks the time is at hand:
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 4, 2025
Trump said he’s already ordered his administration to take action:
President Donald Trump says he is directing his government to reopen and expand Alcatraz, the notorious former prison on a hard-to-reach California island that has been closed for more than 60 years.
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, 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,” he wrote, adding: “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”
The historic prison, the subject of numerous movies including “Birdman of Alcatraz,” was shut down in 1963 due to its high operating costs and deteriorating infrastructure. The site was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal penitentiary, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Al Capone’s Personal .45 Colt Up for Auction
The lockup has a long and storied history:
The prison — infamously inescapable due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters that surround it — was known as the “The Rock” and housed some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
Still in the 29 years it was open, 36 men attempted 14 separate escapes, according to the FBI. Nearly all were caught or didn’t survive the attempt.
The fate of three particular inmates — John Anglin, his brother Clarence and Frank Morris — is of some debate and was dramatized in the 1979 film “Escape from Alcatraz” starring Clinton Eastwood.
A Bureau of Prisons spokesman said in a statement that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders.” However, expect the lawsuits to start coming in as they do whenever Trump takes an action. What they’ll sue over this time is anybody’s guess—perhaps the unconstitutionality of holding people to account or some such silliness.
None of that is deterring Trump, though:
The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Time to reopen Alcatraz!
This will be a huge win! pic.twitter.com/gQqC0koiS6
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 4, 2025
If he wins on this, Alcatraz will become much more than just a tourist site. Who knows, maybe even some new movies will be made about life behind those walls.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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