SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — On the heels of a leadership change at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Georgia’s senators are once again emphasizing their concerns with the planned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Social Circle.
U.S. Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) penned a joint open letter to former Oklahoma Senator and new Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on Thursday. Mullin, a Republican, replaced Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump on March 5.
The senators have been outspoken about the DHS plans to build the facility, with Warnock visiting Social Circle on March 2. The facility, a warehouse purchased from New York-based PNK Group for $128.5 million, could house anywhere from 5,000-10,000 ICE detainees awaiting deportation starting as soon as this summer.
In Thursday’s letter, the senators doubled down on their opposition to the project.
“We ask that ICE abandon its plans to open a detention center over the objections of the community,” the senators wrote.
The two raised concerns about infrastructure concerns that could come with the facility. According to the letter, the DHS reportedly anticipates a generation of 1.1 million wastewater gallons per day, nearly double the 650,000 gallons per day that is permitted.
City officials believe, per the letter, that the project will generate a drinking water demand of 1.1 million gallons per day. Current peak demands sit at 800,000 gallons per day for the entire city.
City Manager Eric Taylor has since locked the meter that would supply water for this facility, a decision that was backed by the Social Circle City Council.
In the event of additional infrastructure construction, Social Circle officials believe the cost could exceed eight figures.
“In total, the City of Social Circle estimates that constructing the water and wastewater infrastructure necessary to support a detention center of this size will cost $44 million and take at least 28 months (with an estimated completion date of Quarter 2 of 2028),” the senators wrote. “Building this new infrastructure will require new permitting and significant investment that has neither been planned for nor provided by DHS or local officials.”
Security concerns were another main talking point in the letter.
The senators noted that the Social Circle Police Department is currently staffed with 15 officers on patrol for the city’s current population of around 5,000.
At full capacity, the facility could effectively triple the city’s population without an increase in the local police force.
The warehouse is located less than a mile from the new Social Circle Elementary School, which has caused room for concern.
“As a result, school officials and parents are concerned about the safety of the 1,100 children enrolled at the elementary school, whose school environment may be adversely affected by a detention center located in such close proximity,” the senators wrote.
At the conclusion of the letter, the senators requested that Mullin and Lyons respond to a detailed list of questions regarding infrastructure and safety by April 7.
In recent months, Social Circle officials have strongly voiced their opposition to the construction of the facility. Communication between federal officials and the city has also been scarce.
This led to Warnock’s eventual visit to Social Circle, where he, Taylor and Social Circle Mayor David Keener spoke out against the federal government’s plans.
“Folks in Social Circle voted for this president overwhelmingly,” Warnock said during his visit to Social Circle. “But here’s what they didn’t vote for: They did not vote for a 10,000-person detention center that will triple the size of their town and that will place a massive detention center next to an elementary school.”
