In its fiscal year 2027 budget proposal, the Trump administration seeks to rebuild Alcatraz into a “state-of-the-art prison facility.” The White House will request Congress for $152 million to cover the first year of project costs. The Trump administration is asking Congress for $152 million to begin rebuilding Alcatraz as a "state-of-the-art secure prison facility." pic.twitter.com/hM9RCcb5og — Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) April 3, 2026 FOX40 has more: The line-item follows the president’s call last year to reopen Alcatraz, which shut down in 1963. The federal maximum-security prison, located on a San Francisco island, housed some of America’s most famous criminals, including Al Capone, with an average prison population of about 260-275. Since its closure, Alcatraz has continued to fascinate moviegoers, including in Clint Eastwood’s 1969 drama “Escape from Alcatraz.” In a Truth Social post last year, Trump called to “rebuild and open Alcatraz,” directing the Federal Bureau of Prisons and other federal agencies to reopen a “substantially enlarged and rebuild” prison on the Bay Area island. “For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering,” he wrote. “When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Democrat politicians criticized the proposal to transform Alcatraz back into a prison. “Trump’s idiotic quest to sink $2 billion into ruining a globally popular tourist attraction is the epitome of waste, fraud, and abuse,” state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) told the New York Post. “Trump’s dementia continues to get the best of him. Making Alcatraz a prison again isn’t a thing, and we’re not going to let him turn Alcatraz into his newest gulag. Back off,” he added. Wiener is seeking to replace the retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the House of Representatives. Trump demands $152M to transform Alcatraz from California tourist trap to 'foreboding' prison https://t.co/2hSYdCIk6D pic.twitter.com/nROwWvbBtg — New York Post (@nypost) April 3, 2026 More from the New York Post: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declined to comment, but a spokesman noted that he made comments last year against converting Alcatraz back into a prison. In May 2025, the Bureau of Prisons partnered with the National Park Service conducted its first assessment to see if modern corrections infrastructure can be realistically brought to the island. A few months later in July, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited the island to personally inspect the site. Bondi, after the tour, described it as a “terrific facility.” Alcatraz was closed as a federal prison in 1963 but now serves as a popular tourist destination and bird sanctuary. Known as “The Rock,” in its heyday, it was an imposing fortress that housed famous criminals like Al Capone, “Machine Gun” Kelly, the “Birdman of Alcatraz” Robert Stroud, and “Whitey” Bulger.