Alameda Board of Supervisors Pass Resolution Opposing Potential ICE Detention Expansion at Dublin

Media Contacts: 

Sophie Sarkar, Tsuru for Solidarity, 609.865.0114, ssarkar[@]tsuruforsolidarity.org

Alex Mensing, California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, 775.560.4904, alex[@]ccijustice.org

PRESS RELEASE

Alameda Board of Supervisors Pass Resolution Opposing Potential ICE Detention Expansion at Dublin

Supporters hold "NO ICE PRISONS" signs at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on April 7

Oakland, Ca. -- Today, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution to formally oppose the reopening or repurposing of the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin for any future detention or correctional operations. Hundreds of residents voiced their support for the resolution through in person public comment and submitting written testimony. The resolution was brought by Supervisors David Haubert and Elisa Márquez.

“As Japanese Americans, we know that separating families and holding human beings in inhumane carceral conditions causes deep harm that is passed down from generation to generation,” said Sophie Sarkar, Bay Area Organizer with Tsuru for Solidarity. “I support this resolution because across the country we are seeing that steadfast, strong, local opposition from everyday citizens and elected officials is working to stop detention expansion and is our best chance at stopping ICE from terrorizing our communities. We thank Supervisors Haubert and Márquez for bringing this resolution forward.” 

In early 2025, news reports revealed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was considering reopening the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin (FCI Dublin) as an immigration detention center. FCI Dublin was closed in 2024 due to a rampant crisis of ongoing, widespread staff sexual abuse that targeted women incarcerated there, many of whom were undocumented. Survivors also uncovered unsafe conditions, including mold, asbestos, and crumbling infrastructure.

While the Department of Homeland Security asserts there are no current plans to use the facility, Bay Area residents remain skeptical and have continued to raise awareness about the threat. On December 16, 2025, the Dublin City Council voted unanimously to approve a similar resolution opposing the potential reopening of FCI Dublin as an ICE detention center after dozens of local residents voiced their concerns through public comment. 

“FCI Dublin represents one of the darkest human rights scandals in California’s history,” said Kendra Drysdale of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners who is a survivor of FCI Dublin. “We as survivors want to be honored by seeing this facility demolished and repurposed for something that serves its community in a meaningful way. Let Dublin’s legacy not be remembered for housing the rape club, but for standing with survivors and keeping its doors closed.”

“Despite being right next to where we live we can’t see the facility. We can’t see the asbestos filled walls. Yet it still looms large over all of Dublin. We all know exactly what it means- us students know exactly what it means for our friends and family,” said Adrian Van, a Dublin High School student who spoke at today’s meeting.

"I'm asking myself daily, 'How can we act like Minnesotans?' They showed us radical neighboring,” said Dan Morley with Tri-Valley Indivisible. We succeed when we organize, and when organizing groups collaborate with other organizing groups. I am energized by standing up for our immigrant neighbors with the ICE Out of Dublin Coalition."

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The ICE Out of Dublin Coalition is working to stop the reopening of FCI Dublin as an immigration detention center through organizing, storytelling, and advocacy. The coalition is made up of community organizations, faith leaders, survivors of incarceration and ICE detention as well as internment, organized labor, neighbors, and more.