Trump Seeks $152 Million to Start Rebuilding Alcatraz as a Maximum-Security Prison

Overview

• Included in Friday's FY2027 budget, the $152 million ask sits inside a $1.7 billion boost for the Bureau of Prisons to raise pay and address a long guard shortage.
• Trump has pushed since last year to reopen Alcatraz to hold the nation’s most violent offenders as a high-security showcase.
• The Bureau of Prisons said it is evaluating and formulating the steps needed to reopen and operate USP Alcatraz.
• Reporting that cites administration officials says any modern complex would likely be built from scratch and could cost about $2 billion.
• The plan faces political and practical hurdles because Congress must approve funding and the island now serves as a National Park Service site that draws about 1.2 million visitors a year after closing in 1963 over high costs.