Trump seeking $152 million from Congress to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison

SAN FRANCISCO — President Donald Trump is asking Congress for $152 million to launch his plan to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison.

The request can be found in the 2027 budget proposal that the White House released on Friday.

It includes money to cover the first year of project costs, but provides no further details about how the $152 million would be used.

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Trump first announced his plan in May 2025. That’s when he sent a Truth Social post directing departments “to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”

Trump administration officials visited Alcatraz in July 2025 to tour the historic site, which closed as a prison more than 60 years ago.

Several Democrats have spoken out against the plan.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi previously called it Trump’s “stupidest initiative yet.”

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie also released a statement in July 2025, saying, “There’s no realistic plan to make Alcatraz reopen as anything other than the wonderful tourist attraction that it currently is.”

Alcatraz has been shuttered since 1963, when the federal government closed it down largely due to its high operational costs and crumbling infrastructure.

The tourist attraction currently generates about $60 million in annual revenue, according to the National Park Service. Refurbishing the island and building a new prison would cost at least a quarter of a billion dollars, according to estimates.