Reopening Alcatraz Won't Be Cheap

Alcatraz, the former island prison in California's San Francisco Bay, hasn't accepted inmates in 60 years. The prison was closed in 1963 because it was too expensive to operate, "costing three times as much as most other federal prisons," per the San Jose Mercury News. It won't have gotten any cheaper in the six decades since. With President Trump ordering federal agencies to work on reopening and rebuilding the facility so it can house "America's most ruthless and violent" offenders, one Democratic policy analyst estimates the initial cost at $235 million to $370 million, plus annual operating costs of $60 million, per Newsweek. Others have suggested annual operating costs of up to $75 million, "roughly three times that of a comparable mainland prison," the outlet notes.

The sea spray is tough on metal and concrete, which makes for a maintenance headache. And all supplies need to be brought in and sewage taken out. Still, Donald Trump Jr. floated the idea of revitalizing the prison on X in January, related to his father's plan to send up to 30,000 migrants to Guantanamo Bay. The president said Sunday in a Truth Social post that a reopening would be a symbol of "Law, Order, and JUSTICE," and he reiterated the point later to reporters, per USA Today. The outlet notes that the idea has been proposed before: In 1981, the Reagan administration considered reopening the prison to house up to 20,000 Cuban detainees but decided against because of Alcatraz's lack of utilities—the prison had a maximum capacity of 336 inmates—and popularity as a tourist destination.

The site joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was later named a National Historic Landmark in 1986. It remains popular today, drawing 1.6 million annual visitors and creating some $60 million in revenue for the National Park Service and its partners. If Trump's direction is to be followed—and the Bureau of Prisons says it "will comply with all Presidential Orders"—management will need to be transferred away from NPS and congressional funding secured, per Newsweek. Officials will also need to address "the same logistical challenges that led to the original closure," the outlet notes. (More Alcatraz stories.)