U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Alcatraz Island on Thursday as part of plans to reopen the legendary former prison. President Donald Trump announced in May that his administration had ordered its restoration and future use as a high-security detention site.
“Spent the day at Alcatraz Island, a National Park Service site, to begin renovation work to reopen the facility for housing the most dangerous criminals and migrants,” Burgum wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Bondi added, “A great morning at Alcatraz with Doug Burgum. Under President Trump, we are making America safe again.”
The federal prison, which operated from 1934 to 1963, became an icon of American criminal justice history. It currently functions as a museum and tourist destination managed by the National Park Service. The Trump administration’s plan to restore it as a working prison aligns with a broader immigration crackdown and detention expansion.
Experts have previously warned that operating costs at Alcatraz were historically three times higher than other federal prisons—a key reason for its original closure. Still, Trump officials say contractors are already expressing interest in reviving the facility, part of a broader effort that includes new detention centers like Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz.”
