Trump seeks $195 million to reopen Alcatraz as active prison

Summary

• The White House seeks $152 million to rebuild Alcatraz as a "state-of-the-art secure prison facility" for the most dangerous offenders.
• Donald Trump directed agencies to reopen and enlarge Alcatraz, which was America's most secure prison due to its island location.
• Alcatraz closed in 1969 because of high operating costs, almost three times more than other federal prisons, according to Reuters.

WASHINGTON - The White House on April 3 sought US$152 million (S$195 million) to return the former Alcatraz prison island to active duty, following up on President Donald Trump’s call in 2025 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.

Mr Trump in May announced on social media that he was directing the Bureau of Prisons, the US 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.”

Before its closure, it housed such notorious criminals as Al Capone and James “Whitey” Bulger.

The Bureau of Prisons’ website recounts that it was closed because it was too expensive to continue operating, noting it was nearly three times more costly to operate than any other federal prison. REUTERS