An inflatable 'Trump Chicken' balloon, wearing a black-and-white-striped convict top, sails in protest in front of Alcatraz Island (a former maximum security federal penitentiary) during a protest of former President Donald J. Trump’s visit for a fundraiser, in San Francisco, California, USA, 06 June 2024. EPA-EFE/JOHN G. MABANGLO "REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!" he posted on the Truth Social platform. "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."
The federal prison at Alcatraz housed notorious U.S. criminals such as Al Capone before it closed in 1963. It is now one of San Francisco's most popular tourist destinations.
"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," Trump wrote.
Trump told reporters as he returned to the White House from Florida, that reopening the prison was "Just an idea I've had" and decided to act on.
"It's a symbol of law and order," he said.
Alcatraz was closed because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) website, in large part due to its island location. It was nearly three times more costly to operate than any other federal prison, the BOP website said.
(Reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Diane Craft and Jacqueline Wong)