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EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration eyes Alcatraz reopening to house nation’s ‘worst of the worst’

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11 months ago

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EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration eyes Alcatraz reopening to house nation’s ‘worst of the worst’

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EXCLUSIVE: Fox News was granted access to Alcatraz Island Thursday as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured the infamous former prison in California’s San Francisco Bay at the direction of President Donald Trump. 

The visit was part of an official review to determine whether the site could be brought back into use as a high-security federal detention center.

“This was an idea of the president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained during a White House briefing Thursday in Washington, D.C. “He spoke about it in May and directed his administration to review a reopening plan for Alcatraz if it is possible.”

TRUMP PUSHES TO REOPEN ALCATRAZ, BUT PELOSI AND NEWSOM DISMISS IT AS A ‘DISTRACTION’

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After Trump’s May 5 announcement about reopening Alcatraz as a working prison, Bondi and Burgum joined Fox News correspondent David Spunt to visit “the Rock” to receive a briefing on the site and assess the 91-year-old former federal prison’s infrastructure. 

The visit, which included walk-throughs of the main cell blocks and off-limits areas normally closed to the public, was a fact-finding mission and not an official announcement of reopening.

Fox News correspondent David Spunt interviews Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum inside Alcatraz Thursday. The exclusive interview took place during their tour of the decommissioned prison. (Fox News)

Bondi and Burgum spent several hours inspecting the crumbling infrastructure while discussing the island’s potential for future federal use. They toured the prison and surrounding island, met with National Park Service (NPS) officials and directed staff to collaborate on a preliminary plan to rehabilitate the complex.

The island is managed by the NPS under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior. 

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If reactivated, it would be operated by the Bureau of Prisons, a division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“So many people remember Al Capone, but this isn’t about the past. It’s about what Alcatraz could be again,” Spunt reported from the island. “They believe, along with their boss, the president, that this may be the symbol of law and order this administration is looking for.”

Alcatraz operated as a federal prison from 1934 to 1963, originally operating as a military prison in the 1850s. The name derives from “Alcatraces” after Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de Ayala’s 1775 exploration mission of San Francisco Bay. While its etymology has inspired debate, the Bureau of Prisons contends it most likely means “pelican” or “strange bird.”

LEGAL EXPERTS SAY TRUMP CAN DEFINITELY REOPEN ALCATRAZ, BUT COULD FACE ‘AVALANCHE OF LAWSUITS’

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as a National Park Service official leads her through a restricted tunnel during a private tour of Alcatraz Island Thursday. (Fox News)

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Alcatraz as a federal prison had a maximum capacity of 336 inmates, plus over 150 staff members and their families. At its peak in the early 1960s, the prison’s operating cost per inmate was over $10 per day, nearly double the national average, according to Bureau of Prisons data.

“This is a terrific facility,” Bondi said. “It needs a lot of work, but no one has been known to escape from Alcatraz and survive.”

Bondi told Fox News the prison could theoretically hold a range of offenders, including “violent criminals, federal predators and illegal aliens.” She emphasized the symbolic value of its isolation and reputation for strict control.

Burgum said the goal is to evaluate the feasibility of restoring Alcatraz to its original use. 

“It’s a federal property. Its original use was a prison. We’re here to take a look at whether it can serve that purpose again,” he said.

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The island poses serious logistical challenges. Alcatraz has no direct power or water lines from the San Francisco mainland more than a mile away, and over 1 million gallons of water per month were once ferried in. Restoration would also require major upgrades to meet modern codes, including ADA compliance, environmental regulations and approval from the Bureau of Prisons and federal courts.

The DOJ this week sent letters to California sheriffs seeking information on undocumented migrants being released from state prisons. An administration official noted to Fox News Digital that while these letters reflect the DOJ’s ongoing public safety mission, they are not directly related to the Alcatraz review.

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

Not everyone is on board. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who represents San Francisco in Congress, called the initiative “the stupidest yet” from Trump.

The administration has not announced a timeline for a decision. Bondi and Burgum will report their findings to the president before any formal steps are taken.

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After its closure in 1963 due to high costs and decaying infrastructure, Alcatraz reopened to the public in 1973 under the Department of the Interior. It is now one of the most visited national historic landmarks in the country, drawing more than 1.5 million tourists annually. That popularity could become a factor in any decision to return it to a secured corrections site.

Alcatraz has long captured the American imagination. Between 1934 and 1963, 14 escape attempts involving 36 men were recorded, but the Bureau of Prisons maintains that no escapee ever made it to freedom. 

Officials believe that frigid, high currents may have claimed the lives of those who vanished.

“This is Alcatraz,” Burgum said. “The name still means something.”

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The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Oregon

Texas man wanted for child sex crimes, theft arrested in SW Oregon

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6 minutes ago

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June 23, 2026

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Texas man wanted for child sex crimes, theft arrested in SW Oregon


CURRY COUNTY, Ore. (KPTV) – A Texas man wanted for child sex crimes was arrested in Curry County on Tuesday afternoon.

The Curry County Sheriff’s Office says Kenneth Leatherwood of Bastrop, Texas, was arrested with the help of Oregon State Police and U.S. Marshals just after 12:30 p.m.

Kenneth Leatherwood(Curry County Sheriff’s Office)

Leatherwood, who is accused of sex-related crimes involving a child in Texas, was reportedly found camping in a heavy wooded area near Lucas Lodge in Agness.

Investigators say Leatherwood has been on the run from Curry County law enforcement since June 16 after reports that he had been seen with a stolen car in the Agness area.

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Leatherwood was also believed to have stolen weapons with him.

His dog was also found and returned to the suspect’s family in good shape, according to the sheriff’s office.

Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.



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Utah

Utah mother charged with international kidnapping claims she was saving kids from ‘end of times’

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41 minutes ago

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June 23, 2026

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Utah mother charged with international kidnapping claims she was saving kids from ‘end of times’


SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah mother, who believed she was saving her kids from “the end of times,” is facing federal kidnapping charges after she fled to Croatia with her four children.

Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, of West Jordan, is accused of traveling to Europe with her four children without court approval or permission from the fathers of the children. On Jan. 28, she was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of international parental kidnapping and passport fraud. She made her initial federal court appearance Monday.

West Jordan police started urgently searching for the four kids in December after Kendall Seymour — father to the three oldest children — realized something was wrong when they didn’t show up to daycare. He had last seen the children a week prior when he dropped them off at school the week of Thanksgiving, which was the start of the mother’s scheduled custody time.

“Seymour did not notify the father of her intent to travel internationally with the children as required by the custody order,” federal prosecutors said.

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The father told police he believed Seymour may have taken the children out of the country and forged his signature on the passport applications because he found passport-related envelopes in the trash at her apartment and other evidence that indicated she had left the country.

Elleshia Seymour was charged in 3rd District Court on Dec. 16 with four counts of custodial interference, a third-degree felony. A warrant was issued for her arrest as, according to charging documents, she “recently discussed obtaining passports and leaving the country, expressing concerns about biblical events and the ‘end of times’” with her ex-boyfriend.

Investigators located surveillance footage at the Salt Lake airport showing Seymour and the kids boarding a one-way flight to Croatia with a layover in Amsterdam. In a voicemail to her other ex-husband — the father of the youngest child — she claimed she was in France looking for a permanent residence.

“Seymour reminded him she had to get the children out of the country because the ‘end time is coming.’ Seymour allegedly told her ex-husband and father of the fourth child she wanted him to join them and asked him not to let the three children’s father know where she was,” federal prosecutors said.

Kendall Seymour said he was initially unaware of any of these beliefs and was concerned “she’s not in the right mind.” While there were no signs of the “doomsday” beliefs when they were married, he found a TikTok account where she was posting increasingly extreme religious messages.

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With posts titled “Urgent Word,” “Brace Yourself,” “Zombies,” and “US Decimated,” she spoke of darkness consuming America, urged followers to “get provisions,” and warned that Salt Lake City would soon be destroyed. Police said witnesses they spoke to indicated Seymour had “previously suffered from emotional breakdowns and hallucinations.”

On Jan. 16, Seymour was arrested by Croatian authorities. The children were found in a state-run Croatian orphanage.

“It sounds like she met this other American citizen in Croatia under the pretense that she was bringing the kids here legally,” Kendall Seymour said. Once the American citizen living in Croatia heard the news about the children, the police were called, and their mother was taken into custody by Croatian authorities, the father said.

He was then contacted by Croatian police, who were holding the kids in a children’s home in the country. Croatian police at first would not release his children until documentation from the U.S. had been checked and rechecked. He stayed in the country for eight days trying to get them released.

On Feb. 1, he announced on a GoFundMe* that he and the four children were on their way home.

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Seymour was extradited to Utah from Croatia on June 12 and was booked into the Davis County Jail. She has a detention hearing scheduled next week in federal court and an initial appearance for the state charges on July 13.

“The safe return of the children remains our highest priority. We are deeply grateful to our federal and international partners for their tireless efforts in bringing about this successful outcome,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah. “Our work is not finished — we will continue to pursue justice in the case against Seymour.”

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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Washington

Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

Published

56 minutes ago

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June 23, 2026

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up to date on all your favorite teams.

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