SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — The Department of Homeland Security is in escrow to purchase a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse in Social Circle to convert the building into an ICE detention center.
The proposed facility could house up to 10,000 detainees, a number that would triple the small town’s population.
Channel 2’s Audrey Washington was in Social Circle, a town of approximately 5,000 people located in Walton County, about 90 minutes east of Atlanta.
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The plan has sparked opposition from residents and city officials who cite concerns over the town’s limited resources and the facility’s proximity to schools and churches.
Social Circle city leaders confirmed the project is currently in escrow for a final purchase by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Mayor David Keener expressed concern regarding the city’s ability to support a facility of that scale.
“We simply don’t have the capacity,” Keener said.
Local leaders said they were informed that if the purchase is finalized, the facility could begin housing detainees as early as April.
Resident Gareth Fenley said the proposal has caused significant distress among neighbors, with some already planning to move away from the area.
“They don’t want to be a part of this community if that’s what we’re going to be,” she said.
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Fenley says that many fear for what the city would become if the facility gets approved.
“It’ll turn our community into prison town,” Fenley said. “I’m outraged.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins also shared concerns about the town’s infrastructure, despite his support for federal immigration enforcement.
“Although I am aligned with the mission of ICE…I agree with the community that Social Circle does not have the sufficient resources that this facility would require,” Collins wrote in a social media post.
The facility’s location has also drawn scrutiny due to its proximity to local institutions. The warehouse sits approximately one-tenth of a mile from an elementary school and a church on East Hightower Trail.
Channel 2 Action News contacted the Department of Homeland Security for comment, but did not receive a response.
Community members plan to hold a protest at the site on Friday afternoon.
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