In brief
President Trump is pushing for a budget allocation of $152 million to renovate Alcatraz prison into a state-of-the-art facility, a plan met with skepticism due to questions about feasibility and cost. Critics, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, argue the proposal is wasteful and undermines the prison's status as a historical landmark.
US President Donald Trump is seeking $152 million (£115 million) to reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison as part of his proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
Located near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the site, also known as The Rock, was once regarded as one of America's most notorious prisons, but has served as a tourist attraction in recent years.
The budget request is seeking money to rebuild Alcatraz as a state-of-the-art secure prison facility, with funds covering the first year of costs.
The plan has been met with skepticism by a number of politicians in California, with questions raised about the final cost of the project and the challenges of running Alcatraz as an active prison.
The maximum security facility was closed in 1963. As a tourist site, it is currently run by the National Park Service.
Former speaker for the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, stated that the budget proposal from the Trump administration was absurd on its face and should be rejected outright.
Pelosi pointed out that rebuilding Alcatraz into a modern prison would not only waste taxpayer dollars but also insult the intelligence of the American people.
The request will need to be approved by the US Congress.
Previous criticism of Trump's plan has highlighted the lack of running water and sewage on the island, as well as the logistical challenges of transporting all supplies by boat.
During its closure, Alcatraz was noted to be three times more expensive to operate than any other federal prison.
Pelosi also raised a concern echoed by other San Francisco politicians, that turning Alcatraz back into a functioning prison would mean losing an iconic landmark, as the facility currently generates about $60 million (£45 million) a year as a tourist attraction.
The funding request forms part of a larger $1.7 billion (£1.3 billion) investment into the Bureau of Prisons.
Trump announced his intentions on Truth Social, directing various governmental departments to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz to house some of America's most dangerous offenders.
Originally a naval defence fort, Alcatraz was converted first into a military prison and then a federal prison in the 1930s, housing notorious criminals such as Al Capone and George Kelly. The prison has appeared in numerous films, including Escape from Alcatraz and The Rock.
