What to know about Alcatraz: why it closed and why it's notorious

Driving the news: "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," Trump said on Truth Social.

• "We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and Judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally. The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

What they're saying: The Bureau of Prisons "will vigorously pursue all avenues to support and implement the President's agenda," bureau Director William K. Marshall III said in an emailed statement Monday.

• Marshall said he ordered an immediate assessment to take place to determine the bureau's needs and the next steps.
• "USP Alcatraz has a rich history," he added. "We look forward to restoring this powerful symbol of law, order, and justice. We will be actively working with our law enforcement and other federal partners to reinstate this very important mission."

Here's what to know:

Why was Alcatraz built?

Background: Alcatraz Island was originally the site of a military fort between 1850 and 1933, per the BOP. The "maximum-security, minimum-privilege penitentiary" opened on the island in San Francisco Bay in 1934.

• Alcatraz was left abandoned between its 1963 closing and 1969, when a group of Native American activists occupied the island and remained there through 1971, protesting the U.S. government's tribe abolition and relocation policy, according to the National Park Service.
• The island that's near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is now a tourist hub, attracting about 1.2 million visitors every year.

Why was Alcatraz famous?

• Alcatraz was known as a last resort prison – incarcerated people who refused to conform to the rules and regulations at other federal institutions were transported to Alcatraz, according to the BOP. It also housed people "who were considered violent and dangerous," or who were considered escape risks.
• Across 29 years of operation, 36 people, including two who tried to escape twice, were involved in 14 separate escape attempts, according to the BOP. All of them were captured, except for five prisoners listed as "missing and presumed drowned."
• Alcatraz was also notorious for housing famous criminals, among them Al Capone, George "Machine-Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud — the "Birdman of Alcatraz."

Why did Alcatraz close?

• According to the BOP, the prison closed because it was too expensive to operate.

• "An estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open," the BOP's website says, a figure that did not include operating costs. At that rate, Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other federal prison at the time.
• The prison's isolation also made it difficult and expensive to transport fresh water, food, and fuel.

Why is Trump reopening Alcatraz?

Zoom out: The Trump administration has been involved in several standoffs with the courts over the deportation of undocumented immigrants to El Salvador.

• Trump has also spoken of sending "homegrown criminals" who've been convicted of crimes to foreign prisons to serve sentences despite being U.S. citizens.
• Trump told reporters Sunday evening as he addressed his plans to reopen Alcatraz, "So many of these radicalized judges, they want to have trials for ... every single person that's in our country illegally."
• Representatives for the White House, DOJ, FBI and Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Sunday evening on how the administration plans to fund the rebuilding and reopening of Alcatraz, how much it expects it to cost and when it plans to reopen it.