‘The Rock’ Returns? Trump Orders Alcatraz Reopened Despite High Costs and Controversy

Alcatraz, the infamous former federal prison, is slated to reopen after more than 60 years, as President Trump aims to revive it as a symbol of “law, order, and JUSTICE,” but the costs associated with reopening “The Rock” could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.The penitentiary was shut down in 1963 after it was determined that the costs of repairing the maximum-security facility’s crumbling infrastructure were too high, along with the high price of shipping supplies onto the island, situated in San Francisco Bay. To bring Alcatraz up to code in 2025 would cost about $370 million up front with another $60 million per year to keep it running, according to a report from Newsweek.“Price tag straight out of a Bond movie. At least $175-250M just to shore up crumbling concrete, retrofit for earthquakes, and install 21st-century security tech,” a political commentator, Brian Krassenstein, wrote in a post on X after Mr. Trump made his declaration. “Operating costs that never stop bleeding. Everything, water, food, fuel, must be barged in, and raw sewage barged out.”“That pushes the annual budget to 3× a comparable mainland prison, roughly $70 – 75 M every single year.”Despite the high price tag for taxpayers, Mr. Trump said on social media that he will go forward with plans to make Alcatraz a symbol for his vision for a supermax-style prison “to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”“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,” he said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday evening. “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.”“The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”The Bureau of Prisons has been closing other facilities due to crumbling infrastructure, but despite the costs, the federal agency indicated that it will go through with plans to reopen Alcatraz, with an agency representative telling the Associated Press that it “will comply with all presidential orders.”Mr. Trump has also had lofty ambitions to reopen the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house tens of thousands of the “worst criminal aliens.”“We have 30,000 beds in Guantanamo to detain the worst criminal aliens threatening the American people,” he said in January after taking office and signing a presidential memorandum to reopen the prison camp.Nearly a month later, after a hastily rushed plan to house migrants in tents on the naval base, the plan was halted for not meeting standards set by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A U.S. official told CNN at the time that there were not enough people transferred to Guantanamo Bay to justify building up infrastructure.

‘The Rock’ Returns? Trump Orders Alcatraz Reopened Despite High Costs and Controversy

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