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Trump Administration Weighs $2 Billion Plan to Reopen Alcatraz as Maximum-Security Prison

Costly feasibility studies are evaluating full-scale, smaller-scale and private-operator options for the island

Overview

  • The project remains in an early exploratory stage with no final decision scheduled.
  • Preliminary Justice Department studies project a full-scale reconstruction exceeding $2 billion, with smaller-scale and private-concession alternatives under review.
  • Justice Secretary Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured the island this month to evaluate its dilapidated infrastructure and logistical hurdles.
  • Border czar Tom Homan has said feasibility hinges on available bed counts and detainee stay lengths, delaying any definitive timeline.
  • Environmental authorities warn that added maritime traffic could threaten San Francisco Bay wildlife, and Democratic leaders have dismissed the plan as impractical.