President Donald Trump is calling for the notorious prison and now historical landmark, Alcatraz, in San Francisco, California, to be rebuilt larger and reopened to house the country’s most ruthless and violent criminals.
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening.
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” the president said. “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 continued, adding that it’s supposed to be this way. “No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, AUGUST 11, 1934, AMERICA’S MOST NOTORIOUS PRISONERS ARRIVE AT ALCATRAZ
President Donald Trump is ordering the reopening of a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz Island to house “America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.” (Credit: iStock | Getty Images)
Trump said he is directing the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Homeland Security 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,” he said in the post. “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Alcatraz opened in 1934, but the prison, located on a 22-acre spit of rock, was shuttered after 29 years.
Alcatraz Island opened as a prison in 1934. (Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
Considering its 1.25-mile distance to shore, the Bay Area island was considered practically escape-proof, although there were 14 documented attempted escapes.
The most notorious one was the June 11, 1962, escape by John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris, which inspired “Escape from Alcatraz.”
It remains a mystery whether the three reached the shore and survived. The FBI concluded the escapees drowned due to harsh conditions.
BUILDING ALCATRAZ: AMERICA’S INESCAPABLE, ISLAND-RIDDEN PRISON
The escape of three convicts – John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris – from Alcatraz, including a suspected mystery boat seen on the San Francisco Bay the night of their disappearance, is detailed in the June 17, 1962, edition of the Oakland Tribune newspaper. (Photo by MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)
The three prisoners chiseled an escape route from their own jail cells and built makeshift, papier-mâché heads.
The final attempted escape from the prison, almost six months later, inspired what has become the swimming route of the “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlon.
Its most notorious inmates included gangsters James “Whitey” Bulger, Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, plus infamous “Birdman of Alcatraz” Robert Stroud and “Public Enemy No. 1” Alvin Karpis.
Alcatraz ultimately closed in 1963 after its island operations proved far more costly than mainland-based prisons.
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Alcatraz Island today is a popular San Francisco tourist attraction operated by the National Park Service.
Fox News Digital’s Kerry J. Byrne and Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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