South Georgia soon will become home to the largest illegal immigrant detention center in the country.
The D. Ray James Correctional Facility in Charlton County will become part of the Folkston Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Centre under a $47 million contract county and federal government officials reached in June.
The nearly 3,000-bed facility – up from its current capacity of almost 1,100 beds – would bring about 400 jobs to the area, Coastal Georgia’s congressman said.
“With this expansion, Georgia will strengthen its status as a national leader in the fight to secure our southern border,” said U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Savannah. “I’m proud to have worked with Charlton County to get the D. Ray James Correctional Facility expansion over the finish line, which will bring jobs and economic growth to our region.”
The city of Folkston will receive $600,000 a year in revenue from water and sewer services provided to the facility.
President Donald Trump’s big budget bill the Republican majorities in Congress passed last week includes $45 billion to build new immigration detention centers, a 265% annual increase. Trump has made immigration enforcement and detention a major priority of his second-term administration.
📈 Behind The Numbers: Some of you may be asking how these numbers can be over 100%. This isn’t a problem with the numbers, it just means you are bad at math. Percentages of increase over 100% mean something has more than doubled. For example, a 100% increase means something has doubled, a 200% increase means it’s three times bigger than it was at the start.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
Dave Williams is the Bureau Chief for Capitol Beat News Service. He is a veteran reporter who has reported on Georgia state government and politics since 1999. Before that, he covered Georgia’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.
