Pres. Trump moves forward with plan to turn Alcatraz back into federal prison, report says

SAN FRANCISCO -- President Donald Trump is moving forward with his plan to turn Alcatraz back into a federal prison -- despite most experts believing it to be unrealistic.

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Officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons visited the island last week. That's according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which adds that more officials are set to visit in the coming weeks.

The director of Federal Bureau of Prisons appeared on Fox News on May 17. "We've got engineering teams out there now that are doing some assessments. I'm just really excited about the opportunity and possibilities," said Director William Marshall.

"When you think of Alcatraz, you think of Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field, those types of facilities. You get that kind of feeling about Alcatraz when you think of those historical venues and so, yeah, we absolutely think we can get it done."

Alcatraz closed as a prison in 1963 because the government said it was just too expensive to maintain.

MORE: Tourists, politicians and former inmate sound off on Trump's proposal to reopen Alcatraz as a prison

A proposal by President Donald Trump is getting a lot of attention including some double takes in the Bay Area.

President Trump has said he wants to reopen and expand it to house "the most ruthless and violent offenders."

ABC7 News asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta about it on Friday.

"I thought it was a joke when I saw it the first time. Who knows. It doesn't seem like serious policy," said Bonta. "There's massive infrastructure problems to have an operational facility there for what he wants to do with it."

Critics say reopening the Rock is not realistic.

According to the Chronicle, at a public meeting in the Presidio on Thursday, GGNRA Superintendent David Smith said, "I don't think this is likely in our future."

He noted the "amount of money that would be necessary" and the "amount of legal hurdles that will stand in the way." And he said it was "just not well-situated" for the Bureau of Prisons.

Director Marshall said he plans to visit Alcatraz to take an assessment of it.

He believes reopening Alcatraz is doable and says a lighter-weight material would be key for the prison structure.