Trump Proposes Reopening Alcatraz as Supermax Prison

0:00On April 4, President Donald Trump is pushing for $152 million to reopen Alcatraz prison, turning the famous island jail into a cutting-edge facility for the worst offenders. The request hit in the White House's proposed budget for the 2027 fiscal year aimed at covering the first year's rebuilding costs, through the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This comes after Trump floated the idea last May on social media, calling for a bigger, rebuilt Alcatraz to symbolize law and order amid rising, violent crime. Alcatraz, sitting in San Francisco Bay, shut down back in 1963, after nearly three decades as America's toughest lockup, thanks to those cold waters and killer currents that made escapes near impossible. Today, it's a hot tourist spot pulling in over a million visitors yearly as part of the National Park Service. Congress treats these budget asks as starting points so it'll be up to lawmakers to greenlight the funds or scrap it entirely.

1:00Word is, no one's escaped Alcatraz for real during its run, and reviving it could shake up federal prison plans big time if it moves forward.