Attorney General Pam Bondi’s boots hit Alcatraz Island’s weathered docks this week, signaling President Donald Trump’s bold push to resurrect the notorious prison, as CBS San Francisco reports. The move, steeped in law-and-order bravado, aims to lock up America’s worst criminals in a fortress once deemed escape-proof. It’s a plan that’s already rattling San Francisco’s progressive cage.
On Thursday, Bondi, joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, toured the crumbling Alcatraz, a National Park Service gem-turned-tourist-magnet. The duo, ferried by a Coast Guard vessel with Secret Service in tow, surveyed the island’s decaying structures. This visit marks the first concrete step in Trump’s directive to transform the site back into a federal penitentiary.
Alcatraz, which served as a federal prison from 1934 to 1963, once housed infamous names like Al Capone and “Machine Gun” Kelly. Most inmates, though, were rule-breakers from other facilities, not just headline-grabbing gangsters. Its reputation as an inescapable fortress was forged by the bay’s brutal currents and icy waters.
In May, Trump took to Truth Social, announcing plans to rebuild and expand Alcatraz for “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders.” The Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security were tasked with making it happen. Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III quickly ordered an assessment to map out the revival.
Bondi and Burgum, snapping photos for their X posts, were briefed on the island’s facilities. A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed they’re directing staff to plan the prison’s rehabilitation. The goal: turn a tourist hotspot into a high-security lockup once again.
“Alcatraz could hold the worst of the worst,” Bondi declared, touting its potential to cage everyone from violent felons to unauthorized migrants. She praised its escape-proof legend, noting, “No one has been known to escape from Alcatraz and survive.” That’s a stretch -- five of 36 escapees might have made it, though the bay likely claimed them.
Alcatraz closed in 1963, its sky-high operating costs -- triple those of other federal prisons -- making it unsustainable. The facilities had deteriorated, much like today’s crumbling relics Bondi toured. Converting it back will demand hundreds of millions upfront and up to $100 million annually, a steep price for nostalgia.
Since 1972, Alcatraz has been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, drawing 1.6 million visitors yearly. In 1973, it opened as a historic site, generating $60 million annually for the National Park Service and San Francisco. Turning it into a prison risks gutting a cash cow for a city obsessed with its progressive image.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, dodging a meeting with Bondi and Burgum, dismissed the plan. “There’s no realistic plan to make Alcatraz reopen as anything other than the wonderful tourist attraction that it currently is,” he said. His focus on “clean and safe streets” sounds noble, but it sidesteps the city’s crime woes.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi didn’t hold back, calling the plan “the Trump Administration’s stupidest initiative yet.” She sneered that it’s inspired by “decades-old fictional Hollywood movies,” a jab that ignores Alcatraz’s real history of housing hardened criminals. Her outrage feels more like political theater than substantive critique.
Lurie’s plea for federal funds to boost San Francisco’s “economic recovery” over prison plans is telling. He claims Alcatraz’s tourism fuels the city’s rise, but pouring billions into urban woes hasn’t exactly turned San Francisco into a beacon of safety. The irony of prioritizing tourist dollars over law enforcement isn’t lost here.
Marshall, undeterred, vowed his agency would “vigorously pursue all avenues” to execute Trump’s vision. His immediate assessment order shows the administration’s urgency. This isn’t a pipe dream -- it’s a directive with teeth, even if the logistics are daunting.
Alcatraz’s escape attempts -- 14 in all -- cemented its mythology: 23 caught, six shot dead, two drowned, and five possibly free or lost to the bay. That history fuels Bondi’s confidence in its potential as a modern fortress. But romanticizing a prison’s past ignores the decay and cost realities she saw firsthand.
The National Park Service has spent decades restoring Alcatraz for tourists, not inmates. Multiple efforts preserved its historic structures and natural habitats, making it a global draw. Trading that for a prison feels like a step backward to critics who see tourism as San Francisco’s lifeblood.
Trump’s plan, divisive as ever, pits law-and-order pragmatism against progressive priorities. Bondi’s tour signals serious intent, but the price tag and public pushback could sink it. For now, Alcatraz remains a symbol of both America’s past and its polarized present.
