OAN Staff Lillian Mann
12:32 PM – Friday, April 3, 2026
President Donald Trump has requested $152 million in the White House’s proposed 2027 federal budget to rebuild Alcatraz and restore it as an active federal prison, following his announcement last year to reopen the facility.
The budget allocates funding the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to cover the initial year expenses for rebuilding the maximum-security prison, after the island in San Francisco Bay was transformed into a tourist attraction following its closure in 1969.
The White House referred questions to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which stated in a 2025 social media post that Trump intends to reopen the maximum-security prison “to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders” and “serve as a symbol of law, order, and justice.”
The president also had made a post calling for the prison to be rebuild and reopened.
The request to Congress was included in the 2027 budget proposal that Trump released on Friday.
“The budget further invests in BOP to ensure competitive pay, safe working conditions, and an end to longstanding correctional officer shortages,” the budget plan states. “Within this level, the budget also affirms the President’s commitment to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility.”
Trump’s budget, however, must be approved by Congress before any funds are allocated. In May 2025, the BOP partnered with the National Park Service as they ran its first evaluation to determine whether or not modern the prison’s infrastructure could be feasible on the rocky island.
A few months later in July, the then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured the island to personally view the site. After their visit, Bondi described it as a “terrific facility.”
Modernizing the island would be a significant undertaking, as the facility itself is crumbling, unstable due to the exposure of salt air, and lacks running water or sewage system. Logistically, any construction would be complex, as all materials and equipment must be transported to the site by barge.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) praised Trump’s proposed 2027 federal budget plan, saying it restores “fiscal sanity.”
“This proposed budget builds off President Trump and Republicans’ America First policies, which have quickly restored sanity, prioritized the security of our citizens, and delivered relief. It is a plan that will further ignite the American dream while restoring fiscal sanity and reducing the waste, fraud, and abuse that has plagued Washington for too long,” he said.
Alcatraz — which first opened in 1934 — was known as America’s most secure prison, due to the freezing waters and powerful, unpredictable currents surrounding the island. Built to hold 336 prisoners, the penitentiary has recorded no officially confirmed successful escapes. However, 36 have made the attempt, including two who have tried twice.
In 1962, three men — Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin — went to great lengths to fool guards in order to escape the prison. After leaving the facility, they set out on a raft made from over 50 stolen rubber raincoats. While it was never confirmed whether they survived, their bodies were never found, leading to speculation that they either drowned or made it to shore. The U.S. Marshals Service still keeps the case open today.
Before its closure, the prison often called “The Rock” housed several high-profile criminals, including Al Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly, James “Whitey” Bulger, and the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” Robert Stroud.
Today, the island is a popular tourist attraction, welcoming around 1.2 million visitors per year and generating approximately $60 million in annual revenue for park partners, according to the National Park Service.
The BOP’s website has recorded that it was initially closed because it was too costly to maintain, noting that it was almost three times more expensive to operate than any other federal prison at the time.
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