Trump administration confirms plans to reopen Alcatraz
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KTVU) - Interior Secretary Doug Burgum confirmed on Thursday that the Trump administration will begin work to repair and reopen the notorious prison on Alcatraz.
Burgum made the announcement on X just after he and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi toured the island.
"Spent the day on Alcatraz Island, a [National Park Service] site, to start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals," Burgum said. "This administration is restoring safety, justice, and order to our streets."
President Donald Trump in May called for the reopening of the dilapidated prison to house the nation's most "ruthless and violent offenders." Bureau of Prisons Director William Marshall visited the island the same month, and told FOX News at the time that he was "confident" the island could reopen as a prison.
California leaders react
What they're saying:
The proposal garnered sharp rebukes from several prominent California politicians criticizing the logistics and viability of the plan.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) told KTVU on Thursday that the effort to reopen the infamous prison is a "diversionary tactic" to draw Americans' focus away from Trump's recent "big, beautiful bill."
Pelosi also questioned how the administration would foot the bill for the repairs, which have been estimated to cost nearly $1 billion.
"It remains to be seen how this Administration could possibly afford to spend billions to convert and maintain Alcatraz as a prison when they are already adding trillions of dollars to the national debt with their sinful law," Pelosi said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office echoed Pelosi’s sentiments by calling the proposal a "distraction day in Washington, D.C.," and on Thursday derided the Trump administration’s plan.
"Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the same day Trump lets her release the Epstein files. So… never," Newsom's office said in a prepared statement.
The history:
The prison on Alcatraz shut down in 1963 due to its high operating costs related to its remote location in the San Francisco Bay and the worsening condition of many of its structures.
A decade later, it reopened as part of the National Park Service and is now part of the Golden Gate Recreation Area, which was created by Congress in 1972. It has served as a San Francisco tourist landmark in the decades since.
Alcatraz earns about $60 million in annual revenue, according to the National Park Service.
