Trump Seeks $152 Million to Begin to Turn Alcatraz Back Into a Prison

President Trump has requested $152 million in federal funding to reopen Alcatraz Island as a federal prison, marking a dramatic shift from its current use as a National Park Service tourism site. The proposal faces significant local political opposition and confronts major logistical hurdles, given the facility's deteriorated infrastructure after decades of disuse as a penitentiary. Alcatraz, which operated as a maximum-security federal prison until 1963 and housed notorious inmates like Al Capone, has been a major San Francisco Bay Area tourist destination since becoming a historical monument. The plan would require substantial renovation of the island's aging buildings and security systems before it could house inmates. The funding request suggests the Trump administration is prioritizing expanded federal incarceration capacity as part of its law enforcement agenda.