President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he intends to reopen a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” Alcatraz prison, reviving the iconic island facility to house the country’s “most ruthless and violent offenders.” In a Truth Social post, Trump described the move as a response to what he called a plague of “vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders,” adding that the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security would support the Bureau of Prisons in the plan.

Alcatraz, located in San Francisco Bay, operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963. Though originally deemed unsuitable due to its small size and isolation, it later gained a reputation as a place to detain criminals considered unmanageable elsewhere. Trump referenced this legacy in arguing for its restoration, writing, “When we were a more serious Nation… we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals.”

Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III confirmed an immediate assessment was underway to support Trump’s directive, calling Alcatraz “a powerful symbol of law, order, and justice.”

A National Park Service ranger makes their way along “Broadway,” the central corridor of the main cell block on Alcatraz Island.

Trump hinted that the facility might be used to detain undocumented immigrants, citing “judges that are afraid to do their job” and referencing his controversial use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members—a move recently blocked by a Trump-appointed judge.

At a press event, Trump criticized what he views as excessive legal protections for immigrants, lamenting that judges demand “millions of trials” for those in the country illegally. He previously proposed using Guantánamo Bay to house deportees, though that plan was later reevaluated due to legal and financial concerns.

Currently, the Bureau of Prisons oversees 120 facilities and a population of over 156,000, but faces financial strain. A 2024 notice to staff unions revealed plans to shutter several prisons amid budget constraints. Alcatraz itself was closed in 1963 due to high costs—up to three times that of other federal institutions—with restoration estimates at the time reaching $5 million.

The island, now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, reopened to the public in 1973 and attracts over a million visitors annually. Critics have dismissed Trump’s proposal as unrealistic. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it unserious, while a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom labeled it a distraction.