Trump requests $152M to turn Alcatraz Island into federal prison

President Donald Trump wants to reopen San Francisco's infamous Alcatraz Island as a modern federal prison and is requesting $152 million in funding from Congress to begin the project, according to a proposed 2027 budget plan.

In the Department of Justice budget request, the president proposed turning Alcatraz Island into a "state-of-the-art" secure prison facility. It currently operates as a tourist attraction in the San Francisco Bay. As part of the budget request, the administration noted that it would pull funding from the president's Working Families Tax Cut Act, also known as the "One Big, Beautiful Bill."

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 facility, which opened in 1934 as a maximum-security prison, held notorious criminals like Chicago gangster Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud. The prison was open for about 29 years before the federal government shut it down in 1963, after determining it was too expensive to operate.

The president has been vocal about his desire to see Alcatraz Island reopened, ordering the Bureau of Prisons to develop a plan to rebuild the facility after visiting the prison on May 4, 2025.

"The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," Trump posted on Truth Social on May 4, 2025. "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. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm."

It was not immediately clear what the total projected cost would be to rebuild Alcatraz Island.

Trump isn't the first president to consider reopening Alcatraz Island.

In 1981, former President Ronald Reagan and his administration considered reopening the maximum-security facility. However, the site was ultimately rejected because of its lack of utilities, historic nature, popularity as a tourist destination, and the facility's limited space, which has a maximum capacity of 336 inmates.

What is Alcatraz?

Alcatraz is an island in San Francisco Bay that was used as a prison from 1934 to 1963, according to BOP.

The island was discovered in 1775 by Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala, who named it "Isla de los Alcatraces," which translates to island of the pelicans. It was shortened and Americanized over time, which is how it became known as Alcatraz, according to the National Park Service.

It was used as a military fort from 1850 to 1933, during which military prisoners were also housed on the island, according to BOP.

In 1933, the Department of Justice took over Alcatraz to open a maximum security prison for some of the nation's most dangerous criminals.

After 29 years of operation, Alcatraz was closed in 1963. It sat abandoned until 1969, when a group of Native American activists occupied the island and remained there for the next two years, according to NPS.

In 1973, the NPS opened Alcatraz as a public museum. It has more than 1 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular national parks, according to BOP.

Where is Alcatraz island located?

Alcatraz is an island in San Francisco Bay about 1.5 miles off shore and 22 acres in size, according to the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. It's about 3 miles away from the Golden Gate Bridge, according to Pacific Open Water Swim Co.

The only way to reach the island is by boat, which helped the prison maintain its physical isolation from society, according to BOP.

One of the popular rumors about Alcatraz is that it is surrounded by shark-infested waters that made it impossible to swim to the mainland's shore. However, this rumor is untrue as there are only small bottom-feeding sharks in San Francisco Bay, according to BOP.

Several prisoners attempted to escape by swimming to the mainland, but the attempts were mostly thwarted by the water's cold temperatures and strong current. Several people, including a few children and fitness coach Jack LaLanne, have successfully made the swim across the bay over the years, according to BOP.

When did Alcatraz shut down and why?

The prison on Alcatraz closed on March 21, 1963, because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to BOP.

It was nearly three times more expensive to operate Alcatraz than any other federal prison, in part because its physical isolation required food and supplies to be dropped off by boat.

The island also had no source of fresh water, so nearly 1 million gallons had to be barged in each week.

At the time of its closure, Alcatraz needed restoration and maintenance work that would have cost about $3-5 million excluding its daily operation costs.

Contributing: Melina Khan and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY; Reuters

Noe Padilla is a Northern California Reporter for USA Today. Contact him at [email protected], follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.