Editor’s Note: This column was written before it was announced that ICE had officially purchased the warehouse in Social Circle.

I don’t know who in the Trump administration is upset with Congressman Mike Collins, a strong supporter of the president’s agenda for the country, but whoever it is hasn’t done Collins any favors in his effort to become the next United States senator for the state of Georgia.

Whoever it is also hasn’t done the people of Walton County and Social Circle any favors, despite being the most Republican county in the state and voting 75 percent for President Trump all three times he has run for the highest office in the land.

The administration gave Collins the honor of confirming an ICE detention center is on its way to Social Circle. There had been speculation for a couple of months since a Washington Post article identified Social Circle as a potential center site, but now it appears qualifiers like “potential” or “proposed” are no longer needed.

In a call with city officials announced last Wednesday, Collins confirmed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was in the process of purchasing a 1.2 million square-foot warehouse facility located at East Hightower Trail and Social Circle Parkway from PNK S1 LLC. According to Collins and his staff, city officials said, the site was initially considered as an alternative location; however, certain operational metrics ultimately aligned, resulting in the property being identified as a preferred site.

The deal is reportedly in escrow, as in escrow with the federal government, as in a done deal.

The news, understandably, landed with a thud. City officials and current Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff were already on the record opposing the facility for Social Circle due to the strain it would put on the city’s infrastructure, along with an organized group of residents who had been protesting the site long before confirmation came.

Many of those in opposition have also been questioning where Collins has been on the issue, which he addressed in a statement on social media shortly after the news got out.

“Although I am aligned with the mission of ICE to detain and deport the criminal illegal aliens who have flooded across our border due to Joe Biden’s reckless policies, I agree with the community that Social Circle does not have the sufficient resources that this facility would require,” Collins wrote on Wednesday. “The detention center could nearly triple the city’s population, which hovers at around 5,000, while straining sewer and water infrastructure, posing serious safety concerns, and limiting economic growth. I have asked DHS to continue evaluating the impacts that the facility would have on Social Circle and to ensure we can accomplish the mission without negatively impacting this community.”

I mean, I know Collins has to walk a bit of a political tightrope here, but this isn’t just some random part of Georgia Collins doesn’t have to worry about. DHS is putting at ICE detention center expected to hold upwards of 8,500 detainees, right in Collins backyard, in his current U.S. Congressional District, about 15 minutes from his district office.

To add insult to injury, the center is expected to open in April, just before the Republican primary.

You know, President Trump hasn’t made an official endorsement in the U.S. Senate race yet.

Or has he?

Patrick Graham is the proprietor and publisher of The Covington News. He can be reached at patrick.graham@waltontribune.com.