Donald Trump is seeking $152 million in his fiscal 2027 budget proposal to begin rebuilding Alcatraz Island as a “state-of-the-art secure prison facility”. The US President is seeking to revive a long-dormant and highly controversial plan to restore the infamous maximum-security prison, which has operated as a popular tourist attraction for decades.

The funding request, part of a broader $1.7 billion investment in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, would cover only the first year of costs for converting the site—known as “The Rock”—back into an active penitentiary to house “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders,” according to the White House budget document.

The funding request, part of a broader $1.7 billion investment in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, would cover only the first year of costs for converting the site—known as “The Rock”—back into an active penitentiary to house “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders,” according to the White House budget document.

Mr Trump said: “I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ.” He first issued this directive in a Truth Social post last May, calling for the facility to be resurrected as a symbol of law and order.

Alcatraz, located on an island in San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge, opened as a federal prison in the 1930s after serving as a naval defence fort and military prison. It housed notorious gangsters including Al Capone, Mickey Cohen and George “Machine Gun” Kelly during its 29 years of operation.

Attorney General Robert F Kennedy closed the facility in 1963 primarily because of exorbitant operating costs. At the time, it was nearly three times more expensive to run than other federal prisons, with a 1959 daily per-inmate cost of $10.10 compared with $3 elsewhere.

The island lacks fresh water and a sewage system; nearly one million gallons of water had to be barged in weekly, and all supplies arrived by boat. Structural deterioration from salt spray added to the burden.

Since its closure, Alcatraz has been managed by the National Park Service as a major tourist draw, generating approximately $60 million in annual revenue from about 1.6 million visitors each year.

The site has also featured prominently in popular culture, including films such as Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Escape from Alcatraz (1979) and The Rock (1996). The proposal from the administration of Mr Trump has drawn sharp criticism from California politicians, who question both the project’s feasibility and its overall expense.

Nancy Pelosi said: “Rebuilding Alcatraz into a modern prison is a stupid notion that would be nothing more than a waste of taxpayer dollars and an insult to the intelligence of the American people.” The former House Speaker called the idea “absurd on its face,” urged its outright rejection, and described it as a diversion from other priorities.

Critics have highlighted logistical nightmares, including the absence of basic infrastructure and the likelihood that total rebuilding costs could far exceed the initial $152 million request. Reopening the prison would also mean closing the tourist attraction, resulting in the loss of significant revenue and an iconic San Francisco landmark.

The plan forms part of the larger 2027 budget of Mr Trump, which includes $1.5 trillion for defence alongside proposed cuts to domestic spending. The Alcatraz funding must still be approved by Congress, where it faces an uncertain path amid scepticism from Democrats and some fiscal conservatives.

Supporters of the administration argue the project could help alleviate overcrowding in ageing federal facilities and send a strong message on law and order by returning one of America’s toughest prisons to service. However, opponents maintain that modernising the remote island would prove prohibitively expensive in the long term.

The budget request marks the latest development in the high-profile push of Mr Trump, first announced in 2025, to resurrect Alcatraz as a working prison. Whether Congress will fund even the opening phase remains to be seen as lawmakers begin scrutinising the full fiscal 2027 proposal.