Donald Trump looking to reopen Alcatraz in major $152 MILLION prison bid

Fintan Starkey
Sat, 04 Apr 2026 14:01:24 +0000

US President Donald Trump is proposing to reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison for $152million (£115million) as part of his budget for the 2027 fiscal year.

The infamous prison located on an island near San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge has long been regarded as America’s most famous prison, but it has only served as a tourist attraction in recent years.

The budget request is seeking the funds “to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility,” with those funds covering the first year of operation for the prison.

The proposed plans have been met with concern by a number of politicians in California, who are concerned at the long-term cost of the project.

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They also hold concerns over the logistical challenges of running it as an active prison.

The prison was closed back in 1963 and is currently run as a tourist venue by the National Park Service.

The request will need to be approved by Congress before any plans come into action.

Former speaker for the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has said the budget was "absurd on its face and should be rejected outright".

"Rebuilding Alcatraz into a modern prison is a stupid notion that would be nothing more than a waste of taxpayer dollars and an insult to the intelligence of the American people," she said.

Others have criticised the plan, mainly due to the fact there is no running water on the island, or ways to dispose of sewage, and that any supplies needed will have to be transported by boat.

When the prison closed in 1963, it was three times more expensive to run than any other federal prison within the US, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Ms Pelosi also spoke on other politicians concerned that if it were to be made into an active prison, San Fransico would lose an iconic landmark.

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According to the National Park Service, the landmark brings in £45million in revenue as an attraction.

The opening of Alcatraz is part of a wider scheme Mr Trump is trying to implement that would see £1.3billion into the Bureau of Prisons.

On Truth Social last year, the President outlined the plans, in which he said: "The Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ."

The prison would "house America's most ruthless and violent offenders".

Alcatraz was initially a naval defence fort, before it was converted to a military prison and then a federal prison in the 1930’s.

It has housed some of the most dangerous men in history, such as Al Capone, Mickey Cohen, and George "Machine Gun" Kelly.

Since its closure, it has been used as a filming location for a lot of movies, including 1962's Birdman of Alcatraz, starring Burt Lancaster, 1979's Escape from Alcatraz, starring Clint Eastwood, and 1996 film The Rock, starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage.