Hundreds March 50 Miles To Protest Potential ICE Facilities In Dublin, Gilroy: Reports

DUBLIN, CA — Hundreds of immigrants rights advocates marched 50 miles on foot over three days before rallying Monday outside the shuttered Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin.

The fourth annual “Caminata,” organized by the Northern California Coalition for Just Immigration Reform, began Saturday in downtown Napa, and ended with a rally Monday in front of the shuttered FCI Dublin prison, which many activists and politicians suspect may reopen as a new ICE detention facility.

“The Northern California Coalition for Just Immigration Reform invites you to march for citizenship for all, say NO to detention centers in Dublin or Alcatraz, and fight back against deportations & repression,” organizers said on Instagram.

Participants walked from Napa to Vallejo on Saturday, Vallejo to Albany Sunday, and Albany to San Leandro on Monday. They then boarded a car caravan from San Leandro to Dublin. They were protesting a number of federal immigration policies, notably potential plans to build new prisons or immigrant detention centers in Dublin, Alcatraz, and Gilroy.

"We have people from across the bay, united in opposition to detention, and detention centers," said Huy Tran, executive director of SIREN, a San Jose-based immigrant rights organization, according to The Press Democrat. "We have people who stand for their neighbors and friends. We have the power to stop this monstrosity behind me."

FCI Dublin was permanently closed in December 2024 following numerous reports of sexual abuse and assault. Investigations led to convictions and prison sentences for 10 former employees, including the former warden and religious chaplain. Federal investigators also reported asbestos, mold, lead, diesel fuel contamination, and a leaking sewer system.

In early 2025, reports circulated that ICE was considering reopening the shuttered facility as a detention center. A Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson has denied these plans. A spokesperson for ICE also said there were no plans to reopen the facility, but the agency is working to expand detention capacity. Hundreds of people attended two different rallies in March and April of 2025 to protest that possibility. In April 2026, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oppose the reopening of the former prison.

In recent days, detailed plans to turn a facility near Gilroy into an ICE detention hub emerged, resulting in a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Santa Clara County, who argued that federal officials failed to comply with environmental and land-use regulations.

“We’re facing the reality of FCI turning into a detention center and ICE expanding its facilities in Gilroy,” Tran said, according to The Press Democrat. “We have a relentless federal government ignoring constitutional norms, ignoring our rights, and looking for any opportunity to build out its power to detain people.”

SEE ALSO:

• 'Rape Club' Women's Federal Prison To Close Permanently
• Hundreds Protest FCI Dublin As Potential ICE Facility
• Faith Leaders, Activists Protest Outside FCI Dublin
• Alameda County Supervisors Oppose Potential East Bay ICE Detention Center