SACRAMENTO, CA – California State Senator Scott Wiener (D–San Francisco) issued a sharply worded statement this week condemning former President Donald Trump’s call to reopen Alcatraz Island as a federal prison, following Trump’s directive—announced on Truth Social—that the federal government begin preparations to turn the historic site back into an operational penitentiary.
Alcatraz, located in the middle of San Francisco Bay, has not housed incarcerated people since it was shuttered in 1963 due to its deteriorating infrastructure and unsustainable operating costs. Once known as the nation’s most infamous maximum-security prison, it held figures such as Al Capone and Robert Stroud (the “Birdman of Alcatraz”).
The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy (GGNPC) notes that the island served first as a military prison from 1857 to 1933 and then as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, when it was closed under then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Since 1973, Alcatraz has operated as a national park and draws more than 1.4 million visitors annually, making it one of the most popular sites in the National Park Service system.
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed the U.S. is facing a “national crime emergency” and that “vicious, violent, and repeat criminal offenders… will never contribute anything other than misery and suffering.”
He said he would task the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security with collaborating to reopen and modernize Alcatraz, turning it into what he called a “state-of-the-art fortress” to house “America’s most ruthless and violent offenders,” according to AP News.
The move has been widely criticized by historians, civil rights advocates, and lawmakers. Legal scholars pointed out that Alcatraz is a federally protected historic landmark, and any plan to convert it back into a functioning prison would likely face a slew of legal, environmental, and political obstacles—not to mention astronomical costs.
The New York Times reported that the Bureau of Prisons is already struggling with crumbling infrastructure in existing facilities and has closed or consolidated multiple federal prisons in recent years due to similar issues.
Senator Wiener condemned the proposal in a statement released from his office: “Trump’s edict that Alcatraz — which is a museum — will be reopened as a prison is absurd on its face. This major tourist attraction generates significant revenue for the federal government and supports many jobs.”
Senator Wiener continued, “But apart from Trump’s continuing unhinged behavior, this action is part of Trump’s ongoing crusade to sabotage the rule of law. He specifically points to judges who won’t let him deport whomever he wants without due process as justification for this stunt. If Trump is serious about doing this, it’s just one more step in his dismantling of democracy — a domestic gulag right in the middle of San Francisco Bay.”
Wiener’s comments reflect broader concerns that the plan signals a return to carceral spectacle and authoritarian tactics. Alcatraz, in addition to being a tourist attraction, has symbolic value: it was the site of a major Indigenous protest in 1969 when Native American activists occupied the island to call attention to federal treaty violations.
Many historians and justice reform advocates argue that repurposing the island again for incarceration would desecrate that legacy.
In an interview with The Guardian, Maya Whitaker, a senior fellow at the Sentencing Project, called the proposal “pure political theater that weaponizes nostalgia for punishment rather than promoting public safety.”
She added, “We don’t need fortress prisons. We need investments in mental health care, housing, and the social infrastructure that prevents crime in the first place.”
Whether Trump’s plan can move forward remains uncertain, as it would require congressional appropriation, environmental review, and likely litigation from preservation groups and local stakeholders. But Wiener and other critics argue that even the threat of such a move sends a dangerous signal.
“This is not about safety,” Wiener said. “This is about control, cruelty, and fear-mongering. We must remain vigilant against these authoritarian impulses.”
This is never going to happen.
Trump just likes to mess with all of his haters.
I agree it’s never going to happen. Too many problems with the idea.
“California State Senator Scott Wiener . . . ”
You seriously opened an article on Trump by making it about Scott Wiener? There are other people who have made comments on this issue besides the #1 advocate of Build Baby Build California.
This is just Trump trolling with his left hand to upset those with TDS, probably in an attempt to divert attention from something else he’s doing over here with his right hand. And to make a statement on crime and punishment. No way is this happening. The cost would be enormous, and the fights against it monumental.
I agree there is no way this is happening. Whether he’s trolling or sincere, I won’t weigh in.
Maybe Trump could reopen Alcatraz and rename it Gulag by the Bay.
What do you think David?
A room with a view.
Just like Solovetsky