Trump demands Alcatraz reopened to cage ‘America’s most ruthless criminals’

U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Monday made a provocative call for the reconstruction and reopening of Alcatraz, the infamous island prison, to serve as a detention centre for what he described as the “most ruthless and violent offenders” in the United States.

Taking to his official social media handle, the President declared that the newly revived Alcatraz will stand as a “symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” vowing that the United States will no longer be “held hostage by criminals, thugs, and judges afraid to act.”

“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 posted.

“No longer will we tolerate these serial offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.”

Trump said he has directed the Bureau of Prisons, in coordination with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to immediately begin work on a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz” capable of isolating the most dangerous criminals—particularly repeat violent offenders and undocumented migrants with felony records.

The original Alcatraz prison operated from 1934 to 1963 and once housed some of America’s most infamous criminals, including Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”

Its return in 2025 would mark the first time in over six decades that the island would be used again as a federal penitentiary.

President Trump’s move is the latest in a series of hardline criminal justice actions since returning to the White House in January for his second term. From signing the Laken Riley Act into law to backing the controversial “Stop the Filth” anti-gang initiative, Trump has vowed to restore what he calls “a serious nation.”

“This is how we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” he declared in Monday’s post.