Trump Vows to Reopen Alcatraz Island as a Prison

Alcatraz, the island in the San Francisco Bay, once held infamous prisoners such as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and is now a popular tourist destination for millions. The active prison closed in 1963, yet President Trump wants to reopen it in his coming term.

Alcatraz is an island off the coast of San Francisco

In a Truth Social post on May 4th, 2025, Trump said that he was “directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders.”

Trump also posted that he intends for Alcatraz to “Serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” and to prove to the country that he is being tough on crime. He posted that he intends to “Lock up the most dangerous criminals” and keep “ Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem” off the streets. Later, he told reporters that it was just an idea he had. 

Despite it being just an idea he acted upon, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III said that the Bureau “will be actively working with our law enforcement and other federal partners to reinstate” the prison. 

However, they will have to contend with high costs. Due to it's lack of upkeep and usage, Alcatraz has been deteriorating, requiring $3 million to $5 million in repairs. When Alcatraz was a functioning prison, it was three times more expensive to operate than any other federal prison. Trump hopes to expand the prison before reopening it, adding other costs to the mix. Alcatraz brings in about $60 million in tourist revenue meaning that it's conversion back into a working prison would lose significant amounts of revenue.

Alcatraz today

Not only that, but in order to turn Alcatraz into a functioning prison, its National Historic Landmark title must be revoked. According to the National Park Service, this can happen if the landmark’s “qualities for which it was originally designated have been lost or destroyed.” Turning Alcatraz into a functioning prison does neither of those things. 

When Alcatraz was operational, it housed the most dangerous and unruly inmates. More recently, the Trump family has talked about using it to house a different group of people. In an online conversation about sending undocumented immigrants to Cuba, Donald Trump Jr. suggested opening Alcatraz. His father, President Trump, has also hinted at using Alcatraz to house undocumented immigrants: “So many of these radicalized judges, they want to have trials for… every single person that's in our country illegally.” He has also said that reopening Alcatraz would “allow us to remove criminals, who came into our Country illegally.” This was never the intended use of the prison, and raises some questions as to why Trump

wants to reopen it. All undocumented immigrants are hardly the “serial Offenders” Trump said he wants to lock up. 

Opening up Alcatraz does come with its risks. The federal government will have to contend with high costs, loss in tourist revenue, and revoking the National Historic Landmark title. But it does have its benefits. Many federal prisons in the U.S. are overcrowded, and Alcatraz could represent “Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”  Is it worth getting “serial Offenders” and, perhaps, undocumented immigrants off the streets?