President Donald Trump has ordered the reopening of Alcatraz, the notorious federal prison located on an island in San Francisco Bay. The directive, which was issued to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Monday, would reverse over six decades of history — Alcatraz was officially closed in 1963 and has since functioned solely as a tourist attraction.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: “For too long, America has suffered from violent criminals who will never contribute anything but pain and misery. In the past, we had no problem locking up the worst offenders and keeping them far away. That’s how it should be.”
The surprise announcement is being framed by the Trump administration as part of a broader effort to restore “law and order” and crack down on what it calls “soft-on-crime policies.” Alcatraz, once home to infamous inmates like Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” has become an iconic symbol of American criminal justice history.
It is currently unclear how the reopening will be implemented, given that the island facility has not operated as a prison for over 60 years and has since been managed by the National Park Service. The Bureau of Prisons has yet to release a statement on the feasibility of restoring the site to operational status.
Critics quickly questioned the practicality and symbolism of the move, calling it a “political stunt” and warning of the high cost and logistical complexity involved in converting the historic site back into a functioning prison. Supporters, however, lauded the decision as a long-overdue step toward “tougher justice.”
Legal experts also noted that Alcatraz’s original closure was largely due to its high maintenance costs and deteriorating infrastructure — factors that could complicate any plans for its reactivation.
Trump’s order did not specify which categories of inmates might be sent to Alcatraz or whether new facilities would be constructed on the island.
