Overview
- The White House, which released its 2027 budget Friday, asked Congress for $152 million to fund the first year of work to rebuild Alcatraz into a “state-of-the-art secure prison facility.”
- Any spending would require congressional approval, and the Bureau of Prisons says evaluations are still underway with no final operational decision.
- California leaders, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, vowed to fight the conversion, citing the island’s landmark protections, decayed buildings, and lack of basic utilities that would require supplies to be shipped by boat.
- Internal estimates reported by Axios put a ground-up rebuild near $2 billion, far above the first-year ask for a site that now draws over a million visitors and about $60 million a year.
- Trump ordered agencies in May 2025 to pursue an expanded Alcatraz for the “most ruthless” offenders, prompting site tours by senior officials and a pledge from the prisons chief to “pursue all avenues.”