The Federal Bureau of Prisons has issued a final report concluding that FCI Dublin, the women's federal prison that closed in 2024, should be permanently deactivated and is no longer needed for incarceration, KTVU reported. The report cites the cost of operating and maintaining the facility.
What the report says
The nine-page report is dated Sept. 2 and signed by BOP Director William K. Marshall III. It says about 7,500 people submitted comments. They were "near unanimous in their opposition to the facility being used again to house inmates or detainees or be used by another agency for purposes of incarceration," and most wanted the buildings demolished, according to KTVU.
The property at 5701 8th Street covers 87 acres and has 40 buildings totaling more than 304,000 square feet. An earlier BOP report estimated it would cost $118 million over 10 years to repair and modernize them.
The City of Dublin says the BOP notified it on Sept. 16 that it is officially proposing to permanently deactivate the site. The city also says the bureau completed an environmental assessment and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact dated Sept. 2.
What happens next
The property goes to the U.S. General Services Administration. The GSA will decide whether to accept it and look at possible reuse by federal or non-federal agencies, a step the BOP says is outside its scope. The Department of Homeland Security has told KTVU several times that it has no plans to turn the prison into an ICE detention center. The City of Dublin says reports of possible ICE use "have not been verified." It notes that it sent opposition letters to DHS and the BOP in April and November 2025, and the City Council passed a resolution in December 2025 opposing any reopening or repurposing of the prison for detention.
Susan Beaty, a senior attorney with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice who represents many women formerly held at Dublin, told KTVU the GSA has been active in seeking properties for immigration detention, so "it's reasonable to still fear" that use. Related: a 10th former FCI Dublin employee pleads guilty.