President Donald Trump has ordered the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary to open once again, declaring it will “serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and justice.”
In a post on Truth Social, the president 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.”
#BREAKING: President Trump has just ordered the reopening of ALCATRAZ
LFG!
FILL IT UP! pic.twitter.com/Jdvqu87x6M
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) May 4, 2025
The prison, located on an island less than 2 miles offshore from San Francisco, closed more than six decades ago and is now overseen by the National Park Service. Alcatraz served as a federal prison between 1934 and 1963 and housed well-known names, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.
Speaking with reporters, Trump noted that while Alcatraz is a “sad symbol,” it also serves as a “symbol of law and order.”
.@POTUS on reopening Alcatraz to house our most ruthless, violent criminals: “It’s a symbol of law and order and it’s got quite a history, frankly — so I think we’re going to do that, and we’re looking at it right now.” pic.twitter.com/YWfvfTDNaa
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 5, 2025
“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,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets. 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 continued.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 4, 2025
“We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added after emphasizing the impact of the “reopening.”
The prison, nicknamed the Rock, was “the federal government’s response to post-Prohibition, post-Depression America,” according to the NPS.
“Both the institution and the men confined within its walls reflect our society during this era,” the National Park Service notes in a description of the prison on a webpage.
“The U.S. Army used the island for more than 80 years–from 1850 until 1933, when the island was transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice for use by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Federal Government had decided to open a maximum-security, minimum-privilege penitentiary to deal with the most incorrigible inmates in Federal prisons, and to show the law-abiding public that the Federal Government was serious about stopping the rampant crime of the 1920s and 1930s,” the Bureau of Prisons notes on its website.
It closed because of costs, the webpage notes, explaining, an “estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open. That figure did not include daily operating costs – Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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