We have some more perplexing news from the White House. President Donald Trump wants to “rebuild and open” Alcatraz, one of the U.S.’s most notorious prisons. The federal penitentiary has been out of commission since 1963, and it’s been under the control of the National Park Service since 1972.
“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,” Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social. “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. 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. 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. The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he adds.
We’re pretty sure recidivism also existed in the early 1960s when Alcatraz was still open, but okay. For anyone hoping that a system of checks and balances will stop this, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons told the Associated Press that they “will comply with all Presidential Orders.”
Alcatraz
Alcatraz is a former federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay that operated from 1934 to 1963. Its isolated location in harsh, shark-infested waters made it as notorious as its poor treatment of inmates. In its almost 30 years of operation, 36 prisoners attempted to escape, either to be captured or killed in the process.
Since its shutdown, the building has become a tourist attraction and popular filming location. The penitentiary is featured in 1962’s “Birdman of Alcatraz,” 1979’s “Escape from Alcatraz,” 1996’s “The Rock,” and countless other projects.
Reopening the facility would further strengthen the current administration’s quest to open as many jails as possible to house alleged “illegal” immigrants. In January, an order was issued to the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to reopen Cuba’s notorious Guantánamo Bay. To house 30,000 immigrants who had been deported from the U.S.
Recently, more than 200 alleged ‘gang members’ from Venezuela were deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador, without due process. To further spit in the eye of the justice system, Trump plans to go after even more people. “The homegrowns are next, the homegrowns. You’ve got to build about five more places,” he said last month about plans to jail U.S. citizens abroad.
