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President Donald Trump has formally asked Congress to allocate $152 million to begin redeveloping the former Alcatraz prison, advancing his plan to bring the infamous island facility back into operation.

The funding request, included in the White House’s proposed 2027 budget, is intended to finance the initial phase of transforming the San Francisco Bay site into what officials are calling a “state-of-the-art secure prison facility.”

Trump has been advocating for reopening Alcatraz since last year, framing the move as part of a broader push for tougher crime policies.

In a previous social media post, he called for a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt” facility to house the country’s most dangerous offenders.

The proposal is part of a wider Justice Department budget that prioritizes prison expansion and law enforcement resources, though any such plan would require congressional approval to move forward.

According to Axios, citing administration officials, constructing a new “supermax” facility on the island would likely require building from the ground up, with total costs estimated at around $2 billion.

Originally opened in 1934 as a federal penitentiary, Alcatraz gained a reputation as one of the most secure prisons in the United States due to its remote island location and the powerful currents surrounding it.

The prison housed a relatively small inmate population, including notorious figures such as Al Capone.

Its place in American history was cemented following a dramatic 1962 escape by three prisoners, an event that later inspired the film “Escape from Alcatraz.”

The facility was shut down in 1963 after officials concluded that maintaining it was too expensive.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons determined that operating costs were nearly triple those of other federal prisons, largely because all supplies—including fresh water—had to be transported to the island.

Since the early 1970s, the site has been overseen by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, becoming a major tourist destination that attracts more than one million visitors each year.

The White House maintains that redeveloping Alcatraz would help modernize the federal prison system and provide additional capacity for housing high-risk inmates.

Opponents of the plan have raised concerns about both its feasibility and cost, pointing out that significant infrastructure upgrades would be required to make the island suitable for modern use.

Federal agencies have already conducted preliminary feasibility studies to evaluate whether a new correctional facility could be built there, though no final determination has been made.

Any effort to proceed is expected to face political hurdles, given competing budget priorities and the island’s current role as a historic site and major tourist attraction.