Trump Asks Congress for $152 Million to Reopen Alcatraz Prison

(AFP) President Donald Trump asked Congress on Friday for $152 million to begin rebuilding the notorious Alcatraz prison, in line with his vision to bring the former island jail back into business.

Trump has pushed for the reopening of Alcatraz since last year, portraying it as a symbol of a tougher stance on crime.

The funding request was included in the White House budget proposal for 2027 sent to the Legislature. It would cover the first year of reforms to turn the prison located in the Bay of San Francisco into a "state-of-the-art secure correctional facility."

Trump aims to have Alcatraz house the country's most dangerous criminals.

The Axios media outlet, citing Trump administration officials, reported that any maximum-security prison complex there would have to be built from scratch, which would put the total cost at around $2 billion.

Alcatraz, which opened as a federal penitentiary in 1934, was once consideredone of the most secure prisons in the United States due to its location and the strong water currents surrounding it.

It housed a relatively small number of inmates, including high-profile prisoners such as Al Capone.

The island fortress became part of the American cultural imagination after the escape of three prisoners in 1962, which inspired the film "Escape from Alcatraz," starring Clint Eastwood.