President Donald Trump announced plans Sunday to reopen and expand the historic Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary to house “America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”
The former prison located in San Francisco, which operated from 1934 to 1963 and once held notorious criminals like Al Capone, would be “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” according to Trump’s Truth Social statement.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Bureau of Prisons via email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
The proposal marks a significant escalation in Trump’s controversial detention policies, coming amid his administration’s disputed use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of individuals to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
His action targeted the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the United States is under invasion by criminal immigrants.
The announcement follows Trump’s expressed willingness to send American citizens to foreign prisons and his directive to open a detention center at Guantanamo Bay for up to 30,000 “worst criminal aliens.”
What To Know
Alcatraz Island, nicknamed “The Rock,” operated as a federal prison for 29 years and gained notoriety for its harsh conditions and remote location.
In his Truth Social post, Trump declared: “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.”
He continued, “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.”
Trump announced he is “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.”
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told the Associated Press in a statement that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders.”
The post specifically targeted concerns about immigration, stating: “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 concluded that “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order in March temporarily halting the government’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act while its actions were being challenged in court.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters in April: “We have some horrible criminals, American grown and born. And if we have somebody that bops an old woman over the head, if we have somebody that is in jail 20 times who goes back and shoots people all over the place and then has a bad judge or a bad prosecutor that do nothing about him, all they worry about his politics, I don’t worry about that.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on X, formerly Twitter: “Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary more than sixty years ago. It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President’s proposal is not a serious one.”
CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins on X: “Trump says he wants to reopen Alcatraz as a functioning prison for the most violent offenders. As the Bureau of Prisons notes on its website, it was closed in the 1960s because it was three times more expensive to operate than other prisons.”
Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director of Detention Watch Network, which says it aims to abolish immigration detention in the U.S., previously wrote in a statement shared with Newsweek: “With Trump’s invocation of a 227-year-old law that Congress, courts, and presidents have apologized for, the Trump regime partnered with Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, to indefinitely imprison people shipped from the U.S. in his abusive mega prison with no due process.”
What Happens Next
The Alcatraz proposal would require navigating substantial obstacles, including transferring management from the National Park Service, securing congressional funding, and addressing the same logistical challenges that led to the original closure.
Update 05/04/25, 9:04 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional information.
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