Trump Directs Reopening of the Dreadful Alcatraz Prison

Donald Trump has ordered his government to reorder Alcatraz Island as a larger facility from its previous operation as a prison located near California.

In a message on his Truth Social site on Sunday, President Trump said that "for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders". The reopening of Alcatraz would serve as a "symbol of law, order, and justice," he said.

The prison operations at Alcatraz ceased in 1963 leading it to transform into a tourist destination. The San Francisco attraction sits close to the Golden Gate Bridge. "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. The prison would "house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders".

Operations related to sending gang members to the El Salvadorian prison system have resulted in frequent disputes between President Trump and American courts. The president sent more than 200 Venezuelan gang members believed to be criminals in March. The president has expressed an interest in extraditing American offenders to abroad incarceration facilities.

Alcatraz began its existence as a naval defense fort before becoming a military prison during the early years of the twentieth century. The Department of Justice acquired control over the facility during the 1930s when it started receiving prisoners from federal institutions. The island prison became known for holding notable criminals that included Al Capone alongside Mickey Cohen and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.