Bondi, Burgum Visit Alcatraz Amid Plans To Reopen It As Prison

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited the former federal prison Alcatraz in California on July 17, following President Donald Trump’s order to reopen the island prison to house the nation’s most dangerous criminals.

Alcatraz, located off the coast of San Francisco, served as a federal prison from 1934 until its closure in 1963 due to high operational costs. Since then, it has been managed by the National Park Service and opened to the public as a tourist site.

Burgum stated on X that they were touring the island prison “to start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals” in the nation, which will help advance Trump’s efforts to crack down on criminal activity.

Spent the day on Alcatraz Island, a @NatlParkService site, to start the work to renovate and reopen the site to house the most dangerous criminals and illegals.

This administration is restoring safety, justice, and order to our streets. @Interior & @TheJusticeDept are following… pic.twitter.com/1CA9O5WWSu

— Secretary Doug Burgum (@SecretaryBurgum) July 17, 2025

During an interview with Fox News at the site, Burgum said that Alcatraz is widely known for its effectiveness in housing criminals.

“This is something that we’re here to take a look at. It’s a federal property. Its original use was a prison. And so part of this would be to test the feasibility about returning it back to its original use,” he said.

Bondi described Alcatraz as a “terrific facility” that could be used to jail violent criminals and illegal immigrants, though she said it needs “a lot of work” to bring the facility back into operation.

“No one has been known to escape from Alcatraz and survive,” she told the news outlet.

Prior to the visit, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) expressed her opposition to the plan to reopen Alcatraz.

“Should reason not prevail and Republicans bring this absurdity before the Congress, Democrats will use every parliamentary and budgetary tactic available to stop the lunacy,” Pelosi stated on X.

The visit followed Trump’s announcement in May that he had directed the Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and Homeland Security to reopen “a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz, to house America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.”

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering,” he stated on Truth Social.

“When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets,” the president added.

According to the Bureau of Prisons, an estimated $3 million to $5 million was needed to restore and maintain the prison to keep it open in the 1960s—excluding daily operating costs. The former military prison was known to be practically impossible to escape from because of the strong currents and cold waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Alcatraz has infamously jailed well-known criminals such as gangster Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Alvin Karpis, and Arthur Barker, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

The island prison has now been closed for more than 60 years.

Rachel Acenas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.