Trump Orders Reopening and Expansion of Alcatraz to House Violent Offenders

Fog lingers behind Alcatraz Island, July 1, 2015, in San Francisco.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a directive to reopen and significantly expand the former Alcatraz federal prison, turning the historic island facility into a high-security detention center for what he calls “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”

In a statement posted on Sunday, Trump said the move was part of a broader crackdown on violent crime and illegal immigration. Citing a rise in what he described as “vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders,” Trump stated that reopening Alcatraz was necessary to protect law-abiding citizens from individuals he referred to as “the dregs of society.”

People tour the main cell house on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, March 15, 2021, as the historic island prison was reopened to visitors after being closed since Dec. 2020, because of the coronavirus threat.

“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,” Trump declared. “That is why I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, along with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ.”

Alcatraz, closed in 1963 due to deteriorating infrastructure and the high logistical costs of maintaining a remote facility in San Francisco Bay, once housed some of the nation’s most infamous criminals, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. Though it has since become a major tourist destination managed by the National Park Service and designated a National Historic Landmark, Trump insists its original purpose must be revived in response to rising criminal threats.

Paint peels off a wall of the former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Nov. 10, 2017, on Alcatraz Island near San Francisco.

Reviving the prison, known as “The Rock” for its inescapability, would require immense financial investment. The island’s isolation, strong ocean currents, and cold Pacific waters made it a formidable place of incarceration for 29 years. According to federal records, 36 inmates attempted 14 escape attempts; almost all were recaptured or presumed dead. The fate of three escapees — John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris — remains one of Alcatraz’s enduring mysteries, dramatized in the film Escape from Alcatraz.

Trump argued the island’s legacy as a symbol of “law and order” should be harnessed once again, citing frustrations with the judiciary’s insistence on due process for those he wishes to deport or incarcerate. He also said the island could be used to detain accused gang members and violent immigrants while bypassing what he views as obstructive legal hurdles.

A boat makes its way toward Alcatraz Island with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background in this view from Sausalito, Calif., Dec. 13, 2023.

A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson confirmed that the agency “will comply with all Presidential Orders,” but did not comment on the feasibility of transforming the tourist destination back into an active correctional facility. The National Park Service currently maintains the island, and any repurposing would require major legal and logistical coordination.

Trump’s order is part of a broader set of proposals targeting federal incarceration and immigration detention policies. He has floated controversial ideas such as relocating prisoners to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador and establishing a massive detention center at Guantanamo Bay to hold up to 30,000 individuals described as “the worst criminal aliens.”

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after disembarking Marine One upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, May 4, 2025.

The president’s push for a more aggressive prison system comes amid turmoil within the Bureau of Prisons. The agency has been under scrutiny following the 2019 suicide of Jeffrey Epstein in federal custody, widespread reports of corruption and abuse, chronic staffing shortages, and facility closures due to poor infrastructure. These problems prompted legislative reforms signed by President Joe Biden to improve oversight.

Despite these challenges, Trump’s directive adds pressure to an agency already managing a redefined mission, including a growing role in housing immigration detainees through cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security. While some facilities have closed, the bureau is currently building a new prison in Kentucky.

The future of Trump’s plan to reopen Alcatraz remains uncertain given the legal, environmental, and historical implications, as well as fierce opposition from California officials. Critics argue that converting a national park into a prison is not only unfeasible but symbolic of a return to outdated and punitive justice systems.