President Trump is calling for Alcatraz, the former San Francisco federal island prison closed decades ago because it was too expensive to operate, to be rebuilt, enlarged and reopened to house “the dregs of society.”
“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 wrote on his platform Truth Social late Sunday. “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.”
Alcatraz had previously been a military fort and prison before being turned into the maximum-security penitentiary that was considered impossible to escape from due to the strong, cold currents buffeting it in San Francisco Bay. The prison, which once housed Al Capone, was closed down in 1963 after 29 years of operation because it was three times more expensive to operate than any other federal penitentiary, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
Trump said turning Alcatraz back into an actual prison will reduce crime.
“No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets,” he wrote. “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.”
Enlarging and rebuilding it would cost millions, even as the Federal Bureau of Prisons is closing other institutions due to the same crumbling infrastructure and maintenance issues that shuttered Alcatraz.
Trump, who answered, “I don’t know” when asked on “Meet the Press” whether everyone is entitled to due process in the U.S., implied in his post that Alcatraz would boost his efforts to imprison immigrants and circumvent judges’ attempts to force him to comply with their constitutional rights.
“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,” Trump wrote. “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”
With News Wire Services
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