Congressional leaders don't want FCI Dublin being turned into ICE detention center

DUBLIN, Calif. - Two Bay Area Congressional representatives wrote members of the Trump administration on Tuesday to say they do not want the now-closed women's prison in Dublin to reopen and house immigrant detainees for ICE.

The letter, signed by Reps. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Dublin) and Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), was sent to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Acting Director U.S Immigration and Customs Caleb Vitello and Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, William Lothrop, who announced he is quitting this Friday after he signed contracts that allow five federal prisons to house ICE detainees, a leaked copy of which KTVU obtained.

On Feb. 14, KTVU also first reported that ICE officials had visited FCI Dublin twice that week, eyeing it to possibly turn it into a detention center. 

DeSaulnier and Lofgren highlighted the unsafe and hazardous conditions at the facility, such as asbestos and mold, that forced the closure of FCI Dublin in April 2024, the prison's history of abuse of incarcerated immigrants, and its insufficient infrastructure for this population, using some of their evidence as KTVU reporting of such issues. 

During court testimony in Oakland last year, Lothrop told a judge it would cost "tens of millions" of dollars to rehab the aging prison. 

"There is no question that the physical facilities at FCI Dublin have degraded to the point where they are not fit for use," the letter states. "By BOP’s own admittance, FCI Dublin simply is not safe for habitation, and as such it should be closed to any and all inhabitants or government purposes."

FCI Dublin is also not equipped to serve as an immigration detention center because there aren't enough rooms or video capabilities for virtual meetings with lawyers, the congressional leaders wrote. 

 Immigration detainees are not convicted criminals, they are people who are involved in ongoing legal proceedings, and they have a constitutional right to communicate with legal counsel, a requirement that FCI Dublin has neither the space nor the infrastructure to meet, the letter states. 

There has been no formal contract that the BOP has yet signed with ICE to turn the prison into such a detention center.

But the congressional leaders said they wanted to see copies of the security and infrastructure assessments referenced by Lothrop in his court testimony, which was shared with ICE for a purpose that has not yet been made public, by March 5. 

The letter was sent on the same day a federal judge is expected to approve a consent decree over women formerly incarcerated at FCI Dublin, ensuring they benefit from two years of reforms that include adequate mental health care and not being retaliated against for reporting abuse.