Dublin council says no to FCI Dublin becoming another prison, ICE facility
Sign to the now-closed FCI Dublin.
DUBLIN, Calif. - The Dublin City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution that states they don't want the now-closed FCI Dublin to become a prison or ICE facility in the future.
The resolution is largely symbolic. The city council has really no say about what the federal government can do with the land, which sits adjacent to Santa Rita Jail.
But it does put on record that the council is formally on record opposing such a proposal.
"It was a great show of support from Dublin residents who spoke out, and the outpouring of folks who showed up was instrumental," said activist Dan Morley of Indivisible Tri-Valley, noting there were roughly 80 people who showed up.
Roughly half of them spoke at the meeting. Only one was against the resolution.
"I wish there was more that we could do," Councilman Kashef Qaadri said, adding that shutting down the facility and blocking the road to the prison aren't in the city's purview.
Interfaith activists held a rally to protest the now-closed FCI Dublin prison from turning into an ICE detention center. April 16, 2025
‘Immigration status’
He also credited the "strong leadership" by Vice Mayor Jean Josey, who was able to get the resolution passed, albeit with a compromise.
Some councilmembers were uncomfortable with a section in the resolution that stated the city wanted to "ensure the safety of all Dublin residents, regardless of immigration status."
The ending resolution leaves out that part and simply states "to ensure the safety of all Dublin residents."
Dublin City Council meeting on FCI Dublin resolution. Dec. 16, 2025
ICE toured property
The women's prison, which opened in 1974, was fully closed on Dec. 5, 2024, after the Bureau of Prisons said they couldn't change the sexualized culture there; 10 correctional officers there were charged with sex crimes and to date, all have been convicted except for one.
Earlier this year, KTVU reported that ICE officials had toured the vacant property to possibly turn it into a detention center, but that idea never came to fruition.
Since the closure, Dublin city officials said they have talked to both Congressional and state representatives, and sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the BOP, reiterating their concerns regarding any future use of FCI Dublin for detention or correctional purposes.
‘Uninhabitable’
Court documents and witness testimony show that the facility is plagued with asbestos, black mold, leaks, sewage overflows, water contamination.
Former BOP William Lothrop testified before a federal judge in Oakland that the prison needs "tens of millions of dollars" in repairs to address these major problems.
Dublin John Morada cited those environmental reasons – not politics or immigration enforcement – as his key impetus for voting in favor of the resolution.
"FCI Dublin is unfit for human habitation and must not be repurposed for detention of any kind," Morada said. "We state clearly and firmly that FCI is uninhabitable."
About 500 people came to protest FCI Dublin turning into an ICE detention center. March, 1, 2025
Facility turned over to GSA
This month, the BOP sent the Dublin City Council a letter stating that the agency has no plans to reopen FCI Dublin and there is no indication the facility will be repurposed for ICE.
That said, the BOP did update the council on Dec. 10 that while the agency is planning to permanently "deactivate, close and dispose" of FCI Dublin, at the same time, it is also divesting itself of the facility and transferring the property to the U.S. General Services Administration, or GSA, "for ultimate disposition."