Trump orders reopening of infamous Alcatraz prison to house ‘dregs of society’

He claims that 'for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders'.

The prison, which is situated on an island near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge closed in March of 1963.

In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that "for too long America has been plagued by vicious, violent and repeat criminal offenders".

The reopening of the infamous jail would be a "symbol of law, order, and justice", he said.

He wrote: "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."

Former House Speaker and Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, has said that the proposal was "not a serious one".

Meanwhile, Democratic state senator for San Francisco, Scott Wiener, called the idea "deeply unhinged" in post on Instagram and "an attack on the rule of law."

Initially, Alcatraz was a naval defence fort, and it was rebuilt in the early 20th Century as a military prison. The Department of Justice took it over in the 1930s, and it would develop a reputation for being one of the toughest prisons in the world.

Some of its most well-known inmates include the notorious gangsters Al Capone, Mickey Cohen and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.

It closed due to the fact it was too expensive to remain in operation and has since become a very succesful tourist attraction.