DUBLIN, Calif. — Advocates and community members are warning that a newly-released federal environmental assessment could pave the way for the closed Federal Correctional Institution Dublin to be repurposed as an immigration detention facility, raising urgent concerns about safety, environmental hazards and the legacy of abuse tied to the site.
The ICE Out of Dublin Coalition held a virtual press conference Tuesday following the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ publication of an Environmental Assessment outlining plans to transfer the property to the General Services Administration. Advocates say the move could position the site for future detention use under federal immigration enforcement policies.
Speakers at the press conference argued that the assessment “failed to consider the possibility that it could become an immigrant detention center,” as well as alternatives such as demolition of the facility.
“Being incarcerated at FCI Dublin caused me the kind of certain trauma you cannot get rid of,” said Aimee Chavira, a survivor of the prison. “There is going to be trauma, no matter how people see it. Trauma that will not go away.”
The environmental assessment itself identifies a range of issues at the site, including “a leaking sewage system that potentially contaminates groundwater,” contamination from its previous use as a military base and diesel fuel pollution. The facility has been designated an “active cleanup site,” raising further concerns about its suitability for any future use involving detained populations.
“This notorious prison was closed for good reason and should be demolished,” said Susan Beaty, an attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice. “The environmental assessment confirms what we already know and what Dublin survivors have been saying for years — the facility is unsafe and uninhabitable with serious infrastructural deficits that would cost tens of millions of dollars to repair.”
Beaty also warned that “ICE detention is well known to be rife with the same horrific abuses and dangerous conditions that were all too common at FCI Dublin.”
The facility, built nearly 50 years ago, has faced long-term criticism for its deteriorating conditions. Advocates say reopening or repurposing the site would not only require a significant financial investment but could also perpetuate systemic issues associated with incarceration and detention.
Local opposition has also grown in recent months. According to the coalition, “hundreds of residents” supported a resolution passed by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors opposing any effort to reopen or repurpose the facility. The Dublin City Council similarly voted unanimously in December 2025 to approve a resolution against the site’s reuse for detention purposes.
“The history of FCI Dublin is a source of shame and sadness to all who love this city,” said Rev. Dr. Kelly Miller-Sanchez of Resurrection Lutheran Church in Dublin. “This land could be used in much more productive ways — as a library, a park, a community recreation center, a hospital.”
Miller-Sanchez added that “the best use of this site would be to demolish it and turn it into something that serves the community,” including “a monument to the survivors of FCI Dublin, so that their stories are never forgotten, and the sins of the past never repeated.”
Advocates also raised concerns about the financial implications of reopening the site. According to statements cited during the press conference, Bureau of Prisons officials previously acknowledged that it would take “tens of millions of dollars” to renovate the facility.
Advocates argue that those resources should instead be directed toward community needs rather than increasing detention capacity.
The coalition is now urging members of the public to submit comments opposing the environmental assessment before the June 1, 2026, deadline. Organizers say they will host virtual events to inform residents about the proposal and encourage public comment.
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