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Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Reopen and Expand Alcatraz Prison

The directive tasks multiple federal departments with reviving the historic site to house violent offenders, sparking questions about feasibility and costs.

Alcatraz Island is pictured on Sunday, May 4, 2025, in the San Francisco Bay, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
With San Francisco in the background, Alcatraz Island is pictured on Monday, May 5, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
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Overview

  • President Trump announced plans to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison for the nation's most violent offenders, emphasizing its symbolic value for law and order.
  • The Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security have been instructed to comply with the presidential order, though no timeline or funding details have been provided.
  • Alcatraz, closed in 1963 due to high operational costs and deteriorating infrastructure, is now a major tourist attraction operated by the National Park Service.
  • Critics, including California lawmakers, have raised concerns about the practicality and legality of the plan, citing the site's current use and significant logistical challenges.
  • The prison's reopening aligns with Trump's broader agenda to overhaul incarceration and immigration detention policies, including controversial proposals for Guantanamo Bay and deportation practices.