Boost for Trump's plan to reopen Alcatraz

»In early May, President Donald Trump mused on social media that he wanted to reopen Alcatraz, now a tourist site in the San Francisco Bay, as a federal prison to “house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders” and remove criminals “who came into our country illegally.”

- HEATHER KNIGHT

The seemingly off-the-cuff idea took a step forward on Thursday, as two prominent members of the administration, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited the island known as “The Rock” to study whether the plan was feasible.

It appears their answer was yes. “Alcatraz could hold the worst of the worst,” Bondi told a Fox News reporter as she stood outside a rusting former prison cell. “It could hold illegal aliens. It could hold anything.”

“This is a terrific facility,” she added.

The pair were there for a tour of the island and to direct its staff to collaborate with them on reopening the decrepit museum as a federal prison, according to an email from a Justice Department spokesman. The visit took place before the public ferries to the island began running. Ms Bondi and Mr Burgum allowed only Fox News journalists to accompany them, and did not respond to other media outlets’ questions until after the brief visit was over.

The island, which is also a park and bird sanctuary, is run by the National Park Service. Under Mr Trump's plan, it would become part of the Bureau of Prisons under the Justice Department.