Exclusive: Trump Administration Eyes Alcatraz Reopening To House Nation’s ‘worst Of The Worst’

EXCLUSIVE: Fox News was granted entree to Alcatraz Island Thursday arsenic U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured nan infamous erstwhile situation successful San Francisco astatine nan guidance of President Donald Trump. 

The sojourn was portion of an charismatic reappraisal to find whether nan tract could beryllium brought backmost into usage arsenic a high-security national detention center.

"This was an thought of nan president," White House press caput Karoline Leavitt explained during a White House briefing Thursday successful Washington, D.C. "He said astir it successful May and directed his management to reappraisal a reopening scheme for Alcatraz if it is possible."

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After Trump’s May 5 announcement astir reopening Alcatraz arsenic a moving prison, Bondi and Burgum joined Fox News analogous David Spunt to sojourn "the Rock" to person a briefing connected nan tract and measure nan 91-year-old erstwhile national prison's infrastructure. 

The visit, which included walk-throughs of nan main compartment blocks and off-limits areas usually closed to nan public, was a fact-finding ngo and not an charismatic announcement of reopening.

Fox News analogous David Spunt interviews Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrong Alcatraz Thursday. The exclusive question and reply took spot during their circuit of nan decommissioned prison. (Fox News)

Bondi and Burgum spent respective hours inspecting nan crumbling infrastructure while discussing nan island’s imaginable for early national use. They toured nan situation and surrounding island, met pinch National Park Service (NPS) officials and directed unit to collaborate connected a preliminary scheme to rehabilitate nan complex.

The land is managed by the NPS nether nan jurisdiction of nan Department of nan Interior. 

If reactivated, it would beryllium operated by nan Bureau of Prisons, a section of nan Department of Justice (DOJ).

"So galore group retrieve Al Capone, but this isn’t astir nan past. It’s astir what Alcatraz could beryllium again," Spunt reported from nan island. "They believe, on pinch their boss, nan president, that this whitethorn beryllium nan awesome of rule and bid this management is looking for."

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi listens arsenic a National Park Service charismatic leads her done a restricted passageway during a backstage circuit of Alcatraz Island Thursday. (Fox News)

Alcatraz arsenic a national situation had a maximum capacity of 336 inmates, positive complete 150 unit members and their families. At its highest successful nan early 1960s, nan prison’s operating costs per inmate was complete $10 per day, astir double nan nationalist average, according to Bureau of Prisons data.

"This is simply a terrific facility," Bondi said. "It needs a batch of work, but nary 1 has been known to flight from Alcatraz and survive."

Bondi told Fox News nan situation could theoretically clasp a scope of offenders, including "violent criminals, national predators and forbidden aliens." She emphasized nan symbolic worth of its isolation and estimation for strict control.

Burgum said nan extremity is to measure nan feasibility of restoring Alcatraz to its original use. 

"It’s a national property. Its original usage was a prison. We’re present to return a look astatine whether it tin service that intent again," he said.

The land successful San Franciso Bay poses superior logistical challenges. Alcatraz has nary nonstop powerfulness aliases h2o lines from nan California mainland much than a mile away, and complete 1 cardinal gallons of h2o per period were erstwhile ferried in. Restoration would besides require awesome upgrades to meet modern codes, including ADA compliance, biology regulations and support from nan Bureau of Prisons and national courts.

The DOJ this week sent letters to California sheriffs seeking accusation connected undocumented migrants being released from authorities prisons. An management charismatic noted to Fox News Digital that while these letters bespeak nan DOJ’s ongoing nationalist information mission, they are not straight related to nan Alcatraz review.

Alcatraz Island gets 1.5 cardinal visitors yearly arsenic a National Park. (Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Not everyone is connected board. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents San Francisco successful Congress, called nan inaugural "the stupidest yet" from Trump.

The management has not announced a timeline for a decision. Bondi and Burgum will study their findings to nan president earlier immoderate general steps are taken.

After its closure successful 1963 owed to precocious costs and decaying infrastructure, Alcatraz reopened to nan nationalist successful 1973 nether nan Department of nan Interior. It is now 1 of nan astir visited nationalist parks successful nan country, drafting much than 1.5 cardinal visitors annually. That fame could go a facet successful immoderate determination to return it to a secured corrections site.

Alcatraz has agelong captured nan American imagination. Between 1934 and 1963, 14 flight attempts involving 36 men were recorded, but nan Bureau of Prisons maintains that nary escapee ever made it to freedom. 

Officials judge that frigid, precocious currents whitethorn person claimed nan lives of those who vanished.

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"This is Alcatraz," Burgum said. "The sanction still intends something."

The DOJ did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.