Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison

By Reuters
|
May 06, 2025
US President Donald Trump. — AFP/File

SAN FRANCISCO: US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was directing the Federal Bureau of Prisons to rebuild and reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison in the San Francisco Bay to “house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”

“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” he posted on the Truth Social platform. “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.” The federal prison at Alcatraz housed notorious US criminals such as Al Capone before it closed in 1963. It is now one of San Francisco’s most popular tourist destinations.

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“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,” Trump wrote.

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