Posting on his platform Truth Social, Trump declared: “Refurbish and reopen Alcatraz!” He added, “We used to be a tougher country. In the past, we didn’t hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals and keep them far away from anyone they could harm.”

Alcatraz, once known for holding some of the United States’ most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone, was closed in 1963 and has since become a major tourist attraction. Its reopening would mark a dramatic return to its former use as a maximum-security prison.

Trump stated, “Today, I am ordering the Bureau of Prisons, in coordination with the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security, to reopen a significantly expanded and nearly fully rebuilt Alcatraz.”

Speaking to reporters while returning to the White House from Florida, Trump said reviving Alcatraz was “just an idea I once had” and that he had now decided to act on it. “It’s a symbol of law and order,” he said.

Alcatraz has long been considered one of the most secure prisons in U.S. history due to its isolated location on an island surrounded by cold waters and powerful currents. Official records indicate that no inmate ever successfully escaped the prison, although five were listed as “missing and presumed drowned.”

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website, Alcatraz was closed because it was too expensive to operate, largely because it was located on an island. The cost of operating other federal prisons is nearly three times that of other federal prisons.
Former House Speaker and Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of California has expressed disapproval of the Republican president’s plan. “Alcatraz Island closed as a federal prison more than 60 years ago. Today, it is a popular national park and major tourist attraction. The president’s proposal is not a serious one,” she said.

https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign/2856512