Why Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz prison

US President Donald Trump included in his 2027 budget proposal a plan to reopen the legendary Alcatraz prison. Deactivated since 1963, the island in San Francisco Bay could become a state-of-the-art maximum security facility — thanks to a project costing around US$2 billion.

Trump’s intention is that “The Rock”, as the place is also known, houses the “most cruel and violent” offenders in the USA. “America has been infested by the dregs of society, people who will never contribute anything other than misery and suffering,” the president said.

The proposal is a direct response to Donald Trump’s frustration with what he calls “radicalized judges” — magistrates who, according to the president, make it difficult to strictly enforce the law and remove criminals. By reactivating Alcatraz, the government aims to send a clear message of zero tolerance for recidivism and violent crime.

The project still carries a strong symbolic weight, in line with the “Law and Order” speech that marks Trump’s political trajectory. In the past, the president said, the United States was willing to isolate the most dangerous elements of society — and the reopening of Alcatraz will be a symbol of that commitment returning to the White House.

“Waste of money”

For the first year of reconstruction, the government asked Congress for US$152 million. But the final cost to make the complex functional could be much higher.

According to experts and officials from the Trump administration itself, a new prison would have to be built practically from scratch, which would increase the total cost of the project to around US$2 billion.

The plan faces strong opposition, especially from Democratic sectors. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the idea “absurd” and a “waste of taxpayer money.”

The truth is that operating the island has always been expensive. At the time of its closure, keeping a detainee in Alcatraz cost three times more than in any other federal prison on the continent — and the cost of maritime logistics would still be an obstacle today.

To top it off, the area has been a national park since 1972, and transferring it to the Bureau of Prisons requires congressional approval. This means Trump has one more tough legislative battle ahead of him.

The “impossible escape”

Alcatraz became known as the prison from which “no one could escape”, due to the bay’s icy waters and strong currents. For decades, the site was home to notorious gangsters like Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

The prison’s worldwide fame was consolidated by the mysterious escape of June 11, 1962. On that occasion, Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin used spoons to dig tunnels in the cells and created fake heads (made of papier-mâché and real hair) to fool the guards at night.

They left the island on a makeshift raft made from glued together raincoats. And although the FBI concluded that the trio likely drowned, their bodies were never found.

This story inspired the classic film Escape from Alcatraz (1979), also known in Brazil as Alcatraz: Impossible Escape — directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood, who played Morris.