Water Access Cut Off for ICE Detention Facility in Georgia

In a Georgia city, local officials have restricted access to water for a planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.

The proposal for a detention facility in Social Circle was disclosed last December. Reportedly, the Trump administration is looking to reform the immigration detention landscape by refurbishing several large warehouses capable of accommodating between 5,000 and 10,000 individuals.

“The floodgates will remain in place until ICE demonstrates that water and wastewater can be managed within the existing infrastructure’s constraints,” the city stated.

These facilities are expected to be set up at key distribution centers in Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri, alongside smaller facilities for around 1,500 people each.

Confidential reports indicated ICE aims to create a system where individuals are initially booked at smaller processing centers before being transferred to these larger detention centers for deportation, aiming to expedite the deportation process.

A report highlighted that some of these large centers would be situated within Social Circle, prompting concerns from city officials. They deemed the plan “unfeasible” due to local water and wastewater limitations.

In a statement from December, the Social Circle Mayor and City Council expressed their opposition to ICE detention facilities in their community.

More recently, reports surfaced suggesting that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now planning for eight large detention facilities, rather than seven.

Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Social Circle Mayor David Keener expressed concern in a joint statement made in January, arguing that such facilities are inappropriate for the community. “We are urging the government to halt this project, which poses a risk to the city’s resources and could significantly increase its population,” they stated.

Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) echoed these sentiments, pointing out that although locals supported this administration, they did not endorse a massive detention center that could triple the town’s size, increase the risk of water advisories, or infringe upon their voices.

In early February, the city confirmed that ICE had acquired a facility and that officials met with DHS to review the plans.

The city alleged that DHS aims to transform the detention system into government-operated facilities by the end of the fiscal year, introducing a model where smaller facilities would feed into larger ones.

With postal plans identifying the Social Circle facility as one of eight mega centers, it is projected to hold between 7,500 and 10,000 detainees, designed modularly for flexible capacity adjustments.

The facility is anticipated to provide jobs for roughly 2,000 to 2,500 employees and offer amenities like a waiting area, gym, recreational spaces, court facilities, water intake areas, cafeterias, laundry, and medical services.

Officials estimated that the facility could start accepting detainees between mid-May and June.

Despite DHS’s assurances that the facility would not negatively impact the local community, city officials remain doubtful, citing unresolved concerns over water and sewage capacity.

The city pointed out documentation from DHS, estimating a sewage demand of over a million gallons daily, while the current system is already maxed out at 660,000 gallons.

Plans to construct a wastewater treatment plant to increase capacity have been mentioned, but with delays in initiation, it could take up to 18 months to complete.

Consequently, city officials have decided to cut water and wastewater services to the ICE facility, locking water meters connected to the warehouse. “The floodgates will remain until ICE provides a credible plan for water and sewer services,” they reiterated.

City officials indicated that they were not consulted prior to the federal purchase of the land. “This land acquisition was purely federal, with no local input,” City Manager Eric Taylor noted.

Walton County confirmed there had been no contact regarding the establishment of the detention center. “Planning and zoning are exclusively the responsibility of the City of Social Circle,” they stated, noting the county was not involved in the federal transaction.

Meanwhile, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s office has indicated that this is strictly a federal initiative. DHS has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the situation.