WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump has proposed reopening Alcatraz, the infamous maximum-security prison off the coast of San Francisco, as a solution for dealing with illegal migrants.

The prison, which once held notorious criminals like Al Capone, closed in 1963 and is now a museum maintained by the National Park Service.

"And it's long been a symbol, Alcatraz of whatever it is. I mean it's a sad symbol, but it's a symbol of law and order," Trump said Monday.

On Sunday, Trump directed the Bureau of Prisons, the FBI, and Homeland Security to begin the rebuilding process. He explained to reporters that the idea came in response to judges blocking deportations without due process.

So many of these radicalized judges, they want to have trials for every single thing of it, every single person that's in our country illegally that came in illegally, that would mean millions of trials, and it's just so ridiculous," Trump said.

Some Republican lawmakers have expressed support for the proposal.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Fox News, "So people will understand we’re a nation of laws again, unlike what we had underneath Biden. But when we want to start talking about criminals being punished, I don’t want to keep them comfortable."

Democratic critics have heavily criticized his lackadaisical approach to the importance of due process for deportations.

"He’s taking a page out of the dictators and autocrats he admires," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The fact-checking site Snopes noted that most deportations under former President Obama also did not involve due process. Snopes reported that three million individuals were deported under Obama, with an average of 74% of those removals being expedited and not including legal hearings.

Critics argue that turning Alcatraz back into an operating prison, or even building a larger facility on the island as Trump proposed, would be extremely expensive at a time when the government is focused on slashing spending.