DHS picked poor spot for new GA ICE detention center, local officials say. Here’s why

A small Georgia city about an hour east of Atlanta is at the center of one of the most consequential immigration policy moves of the Trump era. The Department of Homeland Security has purchased a 1 million-square-foot warehouse in Social Circle, a town of roughly 5,000 people in Walton County, and plans to convert it into one of eight “mega” ICE detention facilities in the nation.

The warehouse purchased by DHS is the former PNK warehouse, previously owned by a Russian-based company, slated to open as early as April.

In a press release from the city of Social Circle, city officials say they weren’t consulted. Residents say they’re alarmed. And the federal government says it’s moving forward anyway.

Hub-and-spoke system

DHS bought the property and intends to convert it into a massive immigration detention hub under what it calls the ICE Detention Reengineering Initiative.

Social Circle would function as a “hub” in a national hub-and-spoke system that is fed by smaller “spoke” facilities. Detention in these hubs is intended to be short-term (maximum two months) before deportation. DHS says the overall goal is to reduce the number of national detention facilities from roughly 300 to 34.

DHS projects the hub-and-spoke model will add 24,000 detention beds nationally by fall 2026, which is a roughly 30% increase over current capacity.

Key details

• Capacity: 7,500 to 10,000 detainees
• Size: 1 million square feet
• Projected staff: 2,000 to 2,500 employees
• Timeline: Construction contract expected to be awarded imminently. Once awarded, build-out is estimated at 60–75 days, with intake potentially beginning between mid-May and June 2026.
• Funding: The project is funded through the $38 billion allocated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Planned amenities

Documentation provided says the facility will have these features:

• Holding areas
• Gyms
• Indoor and outdoor recreational spaces
• Court facilities
• Intake areas
• Cafeterias
• Laundry facilities
• On-site health services
• A gun range

Criticism and pushback

In the Reengineering Initiative, DHS says the goal is to “meet the growing demand for bed space and streamline the detention and removal process” and to “maximize operational efficiency, minimize costs, shorten processing times and promote the safety, dignity and respect of all aliens in ICE custody.”

Although the DHS says the detention center will have “no adverse effect on the community,” the city of Social Circle has been among the loudest critics, and their concerns are less ideological than infrastructural.

Concerns from Social Circle

• The current wastewater is at capacity, and the facility would generate more than 1 million gallons of sewage daily.
• A new treatment plant is planned but won’t be operational until after intake begins.
• The city-system for water supply is unable to support the volume of water needed to fill on-site cisterns,

In their statement, Social Circle officials say, “The city’s concerns regarding water and sewer infrastructure have not been addressed to our satisfaction. We continue to have more questions than answers.”

Concerns from immigrants’ rights organizations

The National Immigration Project released a statement, with support from other organizations, condemning the facility, and their concerns center on human rights.

Organizations in agreement

• ACLU of Georgia
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta
• The National Immigration Project
• Georgia Detention Watch
• Project South
• Sur Legal Collaborative 
• Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights
• Georgia-Alabama American Immigration Lawyers Association
• The National Immigration Law Center
• El Refugio
• The Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN) 

Bipartisan concerns

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who represents Social Circle, is usually a vocal supporter of ICE. However, he is worried about this project. He told GPB, “Talking with the local mayor and local officials down there, they don’t feel, which I agree with them, that it is a very good fit.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia also opposes center and is voicing his concerns directly to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. In a joint statement with the Social Circle mayor, he said, “We are urging the administration to abandon this plan, which risks overwhelming the city’s resources and more than tripling its population.”

Still unknown

• The city has not received the economic impact study DHS says it conducted. 
• No construction contract had been officially awarded. 
• The potential implications for local wetlands have not been addressed.

If you would like to have your voice heard, you can reach out to your Congressperson. If there is something you would like to read more about, email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.

This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 5:30 AM.