Alcatraz could reopen as a 'state-of-the-art secure prison' under Trump's $152M budget request

By Fox News · Fox News

The White House on Friday requested $152 million to begin reopening Alcatraz as an operational prison. The funding proposal, included in the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 budget request, would cover the initial phase of rebuilding the long-closed facility into what officials describe as a "state-of-the-art secure prison facility." Congress will ultimately decide ultimately decide whether to approve the funding. NEW ICE DETENTION FACILITY 'LOUISIANA LOCKUP' OPENS AT NOTORIOUS PRISON President Donald Trump first pushed the idea last year, directing the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to reopen and expand Alcatraz to detain what he called America’s "most ruthless and violent offenders." "REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!" the president said in a Truth Social post last May. "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. Located in San Francisco Bay , Alcatraz has been closed since 1963 and currently operates as a popular tourist destination under the National Park Service. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., slammed the proposal in a post on X on Friday. TRUMP 2027 BUDGET PREVIEW HINTS AT SWEEPING SCALE-UP IN CORE AGENDA "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," Pelosi wrote. "Alcatraz is a historic museum that belongs to the public, and San Franciscans will not stand for Washington turning one of our most iconic landmarks into a political prop." Originally opened as a federal prison in 1934, Alcatraz was widely considered one of the most secure facilities in the country. The prison once housed notorious criminals including mob boss Al Capone. EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EYES ALCATRAZ REOPENING TO HOUSE NATION’S ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ Alcatraz fir…