Trump Seeks Over $150 Million to Reopen Alcatraz as Federal Prison

Washington D.C. | U.S. President Donald Trump has requested a budget of over $150 million to reactivate the notorious Alcatraz prison. This amount was included in the budget proposal submitted by the White House for the fiscal year 2027. Such budget proposals are typically treated as recommendations by the U.S. Congress. 

According to the proposal, the Federal Bureau of Prisons would be provided with the necessary funds in the first year to transform Alcatraz into a modern, high-security prison. Closed in 1969, the facility currently operates as a tourist site under the National Park Service. Last year, Trump directed via social media that Alcatraz be expanded and reopened to house America's most dangerous and violent criminals.

Established in 1934, Alcatraz was known as America's most secure prison due to its geographical location, cold waters, and strong ocean currents.  There is no official record of any prisoner ever escaping from the facility. Five prisoners are listed as missing and are presumed to have drowned. The prison once housed notorious criminals but was closed because the operating costs were unsustainable, costing approximately three times more than other federal prisons.