For several decades, Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay has attracted the public to tour an aging, infamous prison whose inmate roster included Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. But should President Donald Trump get his way, the popular tourist spot would become a prison once more, at least according to the president’s recent interest.
It’s an idea that several California Democratic leaders are having trouble buying. Still, Alcatraz Island was recently visited by federal officials who say they were there to “start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals.”
Alcatraz Island has previously been eyed by a president before. USA TODAY reported that it was one of several sites evaluated as the Reagan administration searched for a location to hold thousands of Cuban detainees during the Mariel Boatlift, although the site was rejected.
So, how did we get here? Here’s a brief timeline of Alcatraz’s change from prison to public destination, and what the Trump administration is doing about it.
1850s: Early U.S. operations on Alcatraz Island
The island is reserved for possible military use; Later, the U.S. Army builds a fortress on the island as part of efforts to protect the San Francisco Bay, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the island becomes home to the first operational lighthouse on the West Coast. The island housed the first military prisoners by the late 1850s, said the bureau.
1933: Alcatraz changes hands
Alcatraz is transferred to the U.S. Department of Justice to be used by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. During its era as a federal prison, the average inmate population was between 260 to 275, never reaching its capacity of 336, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Alcatraz famously housed criminals such as Al Capone and the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” Robert Stroud.’
Related: When was Alcatraz built? Why was Alcatraz closed six decades ago?
1963: Alcatraz closes as a prison
The prison on Alcatraz closed in 1963 because it was too expensive to continue operating, according to the Bureau of Prisons. It was nearly three times more expensive to operate Alcatraz than any other federal prison, in part because its physical isolation required food and supplies to be dropped off by boat. The island also had no source of fresh water, so nearly one million gallons had to be barged in each week.
At the time of its closure, Alcatraz needed restoration and maintenance work that would have cost about $3-5 million excluding its daily operation costs.
1969-1971: Indians of All Tribes occupation
Alcatraz became a demonstration site for Native American rights for 19 months between 1969 and 1971. Activists calling themselves the “Indians of All Tribes” occupied the island and spoke out against U.S. policies stripping tribes of their ancestral lands.
“The ‘Indians of All Tribes’ used their act of civil disobedience to illustrate the troubles faced by Native Americans,” according to a BOP statement. “Initially, public support for the Native Americans’ cause was strong, and thousands of people (general public, schoolchildren, celebrities, hippies, Vietnam war protesters, Hells Angels…) came to the island over the next 18 months.”
Federal Marshals removed the last remaining demonstrators in June of 1971.
1973: Alcatraz opens to the public
Congress established the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1972, which includes Alcatraz Island, according to the National Park Service. It opened to the public in the fall of 1973, according to Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.
Fast forward to May 4: Trump directs the Bureau of Prisons to reopen Alcatraz
The president said in a post on Truth Social that he was directing the Federal Bureau of Prisons, together with the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to reopen “a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders.”
“We will no longer be held hostage to criminals, thugs, and judges that are afraid to do their job and allow us to remove criminals, who came into our country illegally,” Trump’s post said.
Related: Trump officials tour Alcatraz as president keeps pushing to reopen ‘The Rock’
July 1: Trump describes reopening Alcatraz as a response to illegal border crossings
In July, Trump described how he’d set his sights on a prison that’s long been closed.
“Because of the Violence and Criminality I have seen due to the Open Border Policy of Sleepy Joe Biden, in particular allowing millions of people into our Country who shouldn’t be here, I wanted something representative to show how we fight back, and then, it happened, I saw a picture of ALCATRAZ looking so foreboding, and I said, ‘We’re going to look into renovating and rebuilding the famous ALCATRAZ Prison sitting high on the Bay, surrounded by sharks. What a symbol it is, and will be!’” the president said in a Truth Social post.
He added that conceptual work began six months ago and that “various prison development firms are looking at doing it with us.”
“Still a little early, but lots of promise!” Trump said.
July 17: Pam Bondi, Doug Burgum visit Alcatraz
(L-R) U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent listen as U.S. President Donald Trump address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Vice President JD Vance and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) applaud behind him. President Trump was expected to address Congress on his early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum visited Alcatraz Island on Thursday, July 17, in accordance with Trump’s “directive to assess reopening” the prison, according to a statement.
Burgum said he and Bondi were there “to start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals” in a post on X.
“As a National Park Service site, Alcatraz is overseen by the Department of the Interior…In May, President Trump called for a review to explore reopening the prison to house criminal illegal immigrants and other dangerous criminals as he continues to restore justice and Make America Safe Again,” the statement read.
More: Trump officials tour Alcatraz as president keeps pushing to reopen ‘The Rock’
What have California leaders said about Alcatraz reopening as a prison?
Newsom told CBS Sacramento that Trump’s plan was a “colossally bad fiscal idea.”
“Nothing about this makes any sense,” he said. “It’s got the form and the substance of the stuff that flows in and out of the bay over Alcatraz every day: fog.”
Ahead of Bondi and Burgum’s visit, Rep. Nancy Pelosi described the plan to reopen Alcatraz as a prison as the Trump administration’s “stupidest initiative yet.”
“It should concern us all that clearly the only intellectual resources the Administration has drawn upon for this foolish notion are decades-old fictional Hollywood movies,” Pelosi said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association said it rejected the proposal of transferring control of Alcatraz from the National Park Service.
Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs for the parks association, said in a statement that Alcatraz sees more than one million visitors a year and generates about $60 million in annual revenue.
“The administration has made it clear they’re willing to ignore the value of our national parks and the rich history, culture and legacy they protect,” she said. “Congress now faces a choice to either stand up for Alcatraz and the stories it holds or allow our national parks to be sacrificed for political gain.”
USA TODAY reporter Melina Khan contributed to this story.
Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Is Alcatraz reopening? Catch up on it’s history, Trump’s interest