SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — U.S. Legal professional Common Pam Bondi and Inside Secretary Doug Burgum are within the Bay Space and visited Alcatraz Thursday morning as a part of the controversial plan to reopen the federal penitentiary.
Again in Could, President Trump began speaking about reopening the location as a federal jail.
Congress is predicted to introduce a invoice to finish environmental protections for Alcatraz and take away the Nationwide Park Service’s management of the location.
RELATED: Trump says he’ll reopen infamous Alcatraz jail in San Francisco
The plan has been getting pushback because the Trump Administration introduced it, with critics calling it too costly and a political stunt.
On Wednesday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi referred to as it “the stupidest initiative but.”
Video from ABC7 Information Bay Space’s helicopter reveals Bondi and Burgum touring Alcatraz.
ABC Information is reporting that the officers solely invited a Fox Information digital camera alongside for the go to and it’s nonetheless unclear precisely what they’re asserting.
Alcatraz presently generates about $60 million in annual income, in keeping with the Nationwide Park Service.
Refurbishing the island and constructing a brand new jail would price at the very least 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars}, in keeping with estimates.
“They closed Alcatraz due to the associated fee,” Pelosi informed ABC7 Information Bay Space. “And now, not solely would they’ve the price of working it, they’ve the billions of {dollars} that it’s going to take to show it again into a jail. So it is actually economically unfeasible, and in the event that they wish to spend cash on prisons and public security, there are different areas that they’ll do it.”
The proposal is getting robust reactions from different leaders.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Press Workplace issued a press release saying, “Pam Bondi will reopen Alcatraz the identical day Trump lets her launch the Epstein information. So… by no means.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie issued a press release saying, “There isn’t any life like plan to make Alcatraz reopen as something aside from the fantastic vacationer attraction that it presently is.”
ABC7 Information Bay Space Insider Phil Matier weighed in on the plans and go to.
“He desires to make a press release about being powerful on crime,” Matier mentioned. “He mentioned Alcatraz labored, however in its day. It is time to deliver it again in an effort to counter city crime. However this, make no mistake. It is a picture op. It is a publicity stunt. It is a tour in an effort to seize the picture of them in San Francisco on Alcatraz, declaring that Donald Trump is hard on crime, so powerful that he will reopen The Rock… It is now just about like an previous historical fortress on the market that vacationers go to,” Matier mentioned. “Turning it right into a federal penitentiary goes to take some huge cash after which working. It is going to take some huge cash, however planning for it and displaying drawings and making a press release about it. That is rather a lot cheaper, and that is what we’re seeing proper now.”
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