SMALL TOWN WINS: Feds scrap massive ICE jail that would've tripled population

SOCIAL CIRCLE — The federal government has halted plans to convert a warehouse into a massive immigration detention center that would have overwhelmed services in the tiny town of Social Circle.

The city of about 5,500 east of Atlanta announced the decision by the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday evening, attributing the information to multiple agency sources and to U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican who represents the area.

Collins’ office did not immediately respond to queries seeking confirmation. But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) media representatives offered an indirect response to an email query by Capitol Beat, saying Homeland Security “is moving swiftly to utilize EXISTING detention space with our state and county partners.”

ICE is under new leadership after Todd Lyons stepped down in May as acting director.

The agency, now led by David Venturella, said in its response that “heinous criminals, once arrested, should be removed at lightning speed, not housed on American soil at the taxpayer’s expense.”

Collins is running for U.S. Senate, aiming to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Collins is endorsed by President Donald Trump, who made immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his policy — a policy that Collins supports.

Both Ossoff and fellow Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock heralded the policy reversal in Social Circle, attributing it to their own efforts as part of a public pressure campaign.

“Officials in the Trump administration got nervous because the people stood up and began to speak out,” Warnock said in a call with reporters on Friday.

The 1 million-square-foot facility would have held as many as 10,000 detainees, tripling the population of Social Circle.

That would have overwhelmed local water and sewer systems, according to an engineering analysis for the city. The analysis estimated that an infrastructure expansion capable of serving the facility would have cost $44 million and taken more than two years to build.

In the meantime, the federal government planned to truck in water and haul out the byproducts of wastewater treatment, according to a March 24 letter that Warnock and Ossoff sent to the leaders of Homeland Security and ICE. This would have increased local traffic and damaged the roads, the senators wrote.

Their letter also raised safety concerns for the city with 15 patrol officers. The ICE warehouse is less than 1,000 feet from a subdivision and within a mile of an elementary school.

The federal government bought the warehouse for more than $128.5 million, The Covington News reported in February.

Warnock said the amount was twice the market value, labeling the purchase “waste, fraud and abuse.”

ICE said the agency paid fair market value after preparing an appraisal that it said was independently reviewed.

Social Circle said in its announcement that it was unclear whether the government would sell the property or transfer it to a different agency.

The federal government does not pay property taxes, so the purchase was a blow to Social Circle’s finances.

“The City is hopeful that the property will ultimately return to the local tax base and once again contribute to the economic vitality and long-term success of the Social Circle community,” the city’s announcement said.

ICE did not answer Capitol Beat’s question about that issue.

Social Circle thanked Collins, Ossoff and Warnock in its announcement, crediting them for intervening with the Trump administration.

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