Trump orders Alcatraz prison to reopen for ‘most ruthless and violent’ criminals

President Trump said he plans to reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison to house the “most ruthless and violent” criminals on land that has been a Bay Area tourist attraction and national recreation area for decades.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social site Sunday that, “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. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

“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.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office suggested Trump’s announcement was a ploy to draw attention away from his actions as president.

“Looks like it’s distraction day again in Washington, D.C.,” said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom. “Trump is pledging to reopen Alcatraz as American consumers feel the financial pinch of his unpopular tariffs and he continues to tussle with the courts over mass deportations of immigrants.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said on the social media site X that “the President’s proposal is not a serious one.”

The history of Alcatraz Island as a detention center dates back to 1868 when the U.S. military created a disciplinary barrack on site. The famous prison building known as the Rock was built in 1912 and transferred to the Department of Justice in 1933 for use as a federal prison.

The prison closed in 1963, and Alcatraz Island is currently operated as a tourist site by the National Park Service. Visitors to the island learn about famous prisoners like Al Capone, escape attempts and the occupation by a group of Native American activists that lasted from 1969 to 1971.

John Martini, an Alcatraz historian, said the prison was closed in part because it was built with bad construction methods, was decaying and “would be such a money pit to bring it up to standards ... that it was easier to build a new penitentiary.”

“It’s nowhere near what you’d consider to be modern standards for housing incarcerated people,” he said, adding it would be challenging to reopen it as a prison.

Last year, the National Park Service awarded a nearly $50-million contract to “address deterioration and structural deficiencies associated with the Alcatraz Main Prison Building,” according to a news release.

The contractor, Tutor Perini Corp., said the work would include the “abatement of hazardous materials” and be substantially completed by summer 2027, so as to “provide a safe facility for the 1.4 million annual visitors.”

The order to return the island to a prison comes as Trump has been clashing with the courts as he tries to send accused gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process. Trump has also talked about wanting to send American citizens there and to other foreign prisons.

In Trump’s post Sunday, the president said “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.”

In the United States, judges have the ability to rule whether a president has violated the law and at times have ruled Trump has overstepped his authority since returning to office.

State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called the order “unhinged.” But he said that doesn’t mean he is dismissing what Trump said on social media.

“It’s an absurd idea,” Wiener said in an interview Sunday evening. “But on the other hand, we’ve learned that when Donald Trump says something, he means it. … He specifically refers to the judges who won’t let him deport people without due process, so it looks like he wants to open a gulag here in the U.S.”

Martini, the historian, said the news took his breath away.

“It’s been preserved by the National Park Service to tell multiple stories, including incarceration, crime in America, rehabilitation and stories like the Native American takeover in 1969,” Martini said. “If this was to happen, what happens to all the history?”

Los Angeles Times reporter Melody Gutierrez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.