Trump seeks $152 million to reopen Alcatraz as active prison [View all]

Source: Reuters

April 3, 2026 11:58 AM EDT Updated 1 hour ago


April 3 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday sought $152 million to return the former Alcatraz prison island to ​active duty, following up on President Donald Trump's call ‌last year to transform the popular San Francisco Bay tourist destination. The request was tucked into a proposed budget the White House released ​to fund the government for the 2027 fiscal year. ​

Such spending requests are typically treated by lawmakers ⁠in Congress as suggestions. The budget seeks funds for the ​Federal Bureau of Prisons to cover the first-year costs of ​rebuilding Alcatraz into "a state-of-the-art secure prison facility." It closed in 1969 and has been under the National Park Service's auspices.

Trump in May announced ​on social media that he was directing the Bureau ​of Prisons, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other agencies to "reopen a ‌substantially ⁠enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders."

Alcatraz, which opened in 1934, had been billed as America's most secure prison given the island location, frigid ​waters and ​strong currents. No ⁠successful escapes were ever officially recorded, though five prisoners are listed as "missing and presumed ​drowned."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-seeks-152-million-reopen-alcatraz-active-prison-2026-04-03/