Donald Trump wants to reopen the prison Alcatraz. The prison is in San Francisco Bay. It was used between 1934 and 1963. The famous gangster Al Capone stayed there. No one has ever escaped from the prison alive. In 1973, it opened to the public. It is now a tourist attraction. President Trump said Alcatraz was a symbol of law and order. He added: "America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders."
The USA's head of border control likes the idea of reopening Alcatraz. He said it could be good for public safety. However, some people disagree. A former head of the prisons service said: "It's not realistic to think you can repair it. You'd have to tear it up and start over." He said some buildings were "falling apart". He pointed out some of the problems. He said: "There are no security upgrades. No cameras. No fencing. You can't run a prison [like that]."
Try the same news story at these levels:
Alcatraz - Level 0, Alcatraz - Level 2 or Alcatraz - Level 3
Sources- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly5d9yzr7wo
- https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/05/us/trump-alcatraz-prison-history-hnk
- https://www.npr.org/2025/05/05/nx-s1-5387239/trump-alcatraz-reopen
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