US President Donald Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, to announce that he wanted to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison which closed in 1963.
The prison housed countless notorious criminals, including Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and James “Whitey” Bulger. The reopening of the prison can add more burdens on the taxpayers, which is far from convenient.
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Trump’s plans
“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ! 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,” the president revealed on Truth Social.
He wants to lock criminals away
“No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets,” the president continued.
“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,” he added.
And that includes immigrants
“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 explained.
“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he concluded.
An Alcatraz historian explained how it’s not as easy as it seems
Alcatraz historian John Martini spoke with KRON 4 about how it will not be cheap to reopen the notorious prison.
In 1962, the prison’s repair estimates came to about $5 million, which equal to would be equal to about $52 million nowadays.
It would take a lot to reopen the prison
“It would be daunting, it would be astronomically expensive. You would have to add running water, sanitation, heating, electrical, its all gone, there is some electricity but not enough to run the island,” the historian explained.
“To take Alcatraz back and turn it into an operational penitentiary, using the building that is there now, would make as much sense as taking Fort Sumter, putting it back together and arming it with missile loading cannons,” he added.
A Democrat and former House speaker had another say
Nancy Pelosi wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Alcatraz closed as a federal penitentiary more than sixty years ago. It is now a very popular national park and major tourist attraction. The President’s proposal is not a serious one.”