Alcatraz Island has temporarily closed to tourists for dock repairs, just weeks after President Donald Trump proposed spending $152 million to reopen the infamous prison. The National Park Service (NPS) announced the closure on Monday, which will last until Friday, with all scheduled tours refunded.
The closure is for planned maintenance on the dock pilings, according to Joshua Winchell, the park's communications chief. The NPS alert stated that access to the island is temporarily suspended for the repair work.
The Trump administration has been pushing to reopen Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, which closed in 1963 due to high operational costs. In May 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social, calling for the prison to be rebuilt and enlarged to house “vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders.” He directed the Bureau of Prisons, along with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to pursue the plan.
California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised the proposal, calling it a “colossally bad fiscal idea” and comparing it to “the stuff that flows in and out of the bay over Alcatraz every day: fog.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described it as “stupid” and an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.”
In July 2025, then Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited the site to assess its potential for reopening. The prison, which once held notorious criminals, now attracts about 1.2 million visitors annually. The NPS has been contacted for further comment.
