President Donald Trump announced early Sunday evening that he has directed his administration to rebuild and reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison, located just over a mile off the coast of San Francisco.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated that once the facility is renovated and expanded, it would be used to detain criminal illegal immigrants—provided, he said, that Democrat-appointed district court judges continue to obstruct his deportation efforts.

“REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” Trump’s post noted. “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.”

“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,” he continued. “No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets.

“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.

“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 concluded. “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

pic.twitter.com/3g4G1rHNQn

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 4, 2025

Trump followed that with a photo of the island prison — known as “The Rock” — back in its day.

The United States took control of Alcatraz in 1848, formally establishing it as a military post under President Millard Fillmore. By 1858, construction of Fort Alcatraz was completed, and for the next 76 years, the island primarily served as a detention site for prisoners of war. Between 1910 and 1912, inmates reconstructed the original wooden facility using concrete, after which it was renamed the “Pacific Branch, U.S. Disciplinary Barracks for the U.S. Army.”

In 1933, control of Alcatraz was transferred from the U.S. military to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and from 1934 to 1963, “The Rock” became home to some of the most notorious criminals in American history. Among its infamous inmates were Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud—known as “the Birdman of Alcatraz”—and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

During its 29 years as a federal penitentiary, 34 inmates attempted to escape. Of those, six were shot and killed, 23 were recaptured, and two were confirmed to have drowned. Five others were lost at sea and presumed dead. Only one, John Paul Scott, managed to swim to shore in 1962—but he collapsed from hypothermia beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and was swiftly taken back into custody.

President John F. Kennedy ordered Alcatraz closed in 1962 because he said it was too expensive to maintain.