SAN FRANCISCO—In a July 1 Truth Social post, President Donald Trump talked about the current status of his plan to reopen Alcatraz Island as a maximum-security prison, saying that “conceptual work started six months ago.”

He said that “because of the Violence and Criminality“ he’s seen resulting from the open border policy of the Biden administration and the flood of illegal immigrants, he ”wanted something representative to show how we fight back.”

“And then, it happened, I saw a picture of ALCATRAZ looking so foreboding, and I said, ‘We’re going to look into renovating and rebuilding the famous ALCATRAZ Prison sitting high on the Bay, surrounded by sharks. What a symbol it is, and will be!’” the president wrote in the post.

He said that “various prison development firms are looking at doing it with us.”

“Still a little early, but lots of promise!” he added.

Trump had previously announced in a post on May 4 that he was directing the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and Homeland Security “to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ.”

On July 1, Trump toured “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new detention center ready to host illegal immigrants in Florida. He was accompanied by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others.

The illegal immigrant facility, which is now in use, is located deep in the Everglades and is surrounded by swampland containing pythons, alligators, and crocodiles.

The original Alcatraz is a 22-acre island in the San Francisco Bay, about 1.5 miles from the coast. It is surrounded by relatively shallow, murky waters that attract mainly smaller shark species instead of dangerous great white sharks, researcher Greg Skomal noted in an article on the Pacific Open Water Swim Co. website.

However, as an isolated place surrounded by cold ocean water and strong currents, Alcatraz was nearly impossible to escape. It opened as a federal prison in 1934 and housed dangerous criminals such as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes.

No one is confirmed to have ever escaped Alcatraz successfully. The few who went missing from it were never found and were presumed to have drowned.

One of these cases occurred in June 1962, when inmates John Anglin, Clarence Anglin, and Frank Morris escaped. The three made it out of prison through an elaborate plan, but a 17-year investigation by the FBI found no sign that they had survived.

The prison was closed in 1963 by Attorney General Robert Kennedy due to high costs and aging infrastructure.

In a May 17 Fox News interview, Federal Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall said he has sent engineering teams to Alcatraz to do assessments.

“We absolutely think we can get it done,” Marshall said.

He said they are considering using “lighter-weight building materials” instead of the current concrete and steel so the structure won’t be as heavy and the island will be able to take the weight.

The island became a national recreation area in 1972. It is currently managed by the National Park Service with more than 1 million visitors per year.