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In a fresh bid to address violent crime, President Trump is urging Congress to approve a $152 million budget to revive Alcatraz prison, located near San Francisco, for housing high-risk federal offenders.
This proposal, part of the White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget plan, seeks to direct funds to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to kickstart the transformation of Alcatraz into a “state-of-the-art secure prison facility.”
Last May, Trump issued a directive for the renovation of the notorious island prison. He tasked the BOP, along with the Justice Department, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security, with developing plans to reopen an expanded and modernized Alcatraz, intended to incarcerate some of the nation’s most dangerous criminals.
Expressing his views on social media platform Truth Social, Trump lamented the impact of violent repeat offenders on society. He noted, “America has long suffered from these criminals who bring nothing but misery and suffering. In the past, we did not shy away from isolating the most dangerous individuals to protect society.”
Historically, Alcatraz Island served as a military prison from 1850 until 1933, after which it was handed over to the Department of Justice to function as a maximum-security federal penitentiary.
It was closed in March 1963 because it became too expensive to operate, according to the BOP website.
“An estimated $3-5 million was needed just for restoration and maintenance work to keep the prison open,” the bureau noted. “That figure did not include daily operating costs – Alcatraz was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other Federal prison.”
Alcatraz Island opened to the public in the fall of 1973 as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It is now considered one of the West Coast’s most popular tourist attractions, welcoming approximately 1.2 million visitors each year, according to the National Park Service.
Trump is seeking a total of $1.7 billion to “secure America’s prisons” and restore the infamous California prison, which once housed some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including mob boss Al Capone and convicted murderer Robert “Birdman” Stroud.
“For years, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has housed violent criminals in crumbling detention facilities,” the budget proposal states. “Building on a $5 billion investment secured in the President’s [Working Families Tax Credit], the Budget further invests in BOP to ensure competitive pay, safe working conditions, and an end to longstanding correctional officer shortages.”