A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump says he wants to reopen Alcatraz. The former prison is a mile and a half off the coast of San Francisco. The Federal Bureau of Prisons closed Alcatraz in 1963, saying it was nearly three times more expensive to operate than any other federal prison. It has no sewer system or fresh water, and all the water, fuel and supplies have to be delivered by boat. Now the island is one of the most popular national park sites in the country.
Joining me now is Scott Wiener, a California state senator whose district is in San Francisco. So Senator Wiener, what was your reaction to hearing the news that President Trump wanted to somehow reopen Alcatraz prison?
SCOTT WIENER: This is truly a ridiculous proposal, to make Alcatraz a prison again. It's like setting taxpayer money on fire. One-point-four million people a year visit Alcatraz. It's one of the most popular properties in the whole National Park Service. It's right up there with the Golden Gate Bridge in terms of attractions in San Francisco.
MARTÍNEZ: On Monday, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons says that they're going to pursue all avenues to try and see if they can make this happen for President Trump. Wondering - what would have to happen on the local end for this to even be something that could be considered?
WIENER: Yeah, it would be unbelievably expensive. I mean, they would have to remove the museum that's been there for more than half a century, and they'd have to build a new prison from scratch. The building that's there now is ancient. The saltwater was actually starting to destroy the foundation of the building. It was going to have to - need a huge public investment. And so they made the smart decision to say, let's not have a prison here anymore.
MARTÍNEZ: The president's goal is to put dangerous individuals away securely. Are there any other sites in California that, if this is something that became a real thing, that could accommodate these people that President Trump wants to put away?
WIENER: Well, the question is, who is it that he wants to put away? He claims that a lot of people are dangerous who are not dangerous. He says he wants to deport 10 million immigrants, claiming that they're all criminals, which is false. And that's why it's concerning to me that he wants to create this new institution where Lord knows who he's going to put there, whether it's going to be his political opponents or just sweeping people up off the streets and not giving them due process and then refusing to follow court orders.
MARTÍNEZ: If it were at some point to become a federal prison again, what do you think that means to your constituents, to the city of San Francisco, to know that this is there, right there on the water, for everyone to kind of look at?
WIENER: My constituents are not going to be happy if Alcatraz is lost as a tourist destination, as a museum, as a place to go and learn about history. There's a whole economic ecosystem that exists around Alcatraz - the tour guides, the boats, the - you know, all of the people whose livelihood depends on this popular federal attraction, and that'll all be taken away. So this is not a popular idea in San Francisco.
MARTÍNEZ: That is California state Senator Scott Wiener. Thank you very much for speaking with us.
WIENER: Thanks for having me.
MARTÍNEZ: And NPR reached out to the National Park Service for comment. In a statement, J. Elizabeth Peace said the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service has nothing to add at this time. The president's statement speaks for itself.
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