A federal women’s prison that shut down in 2024 due to rampant sexual abuse could possibly reopen as an immigration detention facility under the Trump administration.
Hundreds of women alleged they were repeatedly sexually assaulted by prison staff at FCI Dublin, a northern California facility so notorious for sexual violence it was dubbed “the rape club.” Ten prison guards, including the warden and chaplain, were charged with sexually abusing inmates. The majority have been convicted or pleaded guilty.
Dozens of those women were specifically subjected to sexual assault because of their immigration status. A federal criminal investigation revealed that prison guards “explicitly target[ed] immigrant women for abuse, leveraging the threat of deportation,” according to a class action lawsuit filed by more than 100 women who were formerly incarcerated at FCI Dublin. The U.S. government later paid out a $116 million settlement in the suit.
Guards allegedly looked at women’s files to find out if they were undocumented, promised to help with citizenship if they did sexual favors, or threatened to alert U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement if they reported the abuse.
The site — which has also been plagued with such dangerous conditions as asbestos, black mold and water contamination — could reopen as a detention center for immigrants, as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
