Social Circle officials opposing reported ICE proposal to turn warehouse into immigrant detention center
Officials in the Georgia city of Social Circle are pushing back a reported plan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to turn a warehouse in the city limits into a holding center for immigrant detainees.
In December, the Washington Post reported on a draft solicitation by ICE that would use "large-scale warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 each" before deportation. Social Circle was one of seven cities named as being the proposed site for one of those warehouses, with the others located in Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, and Missouri.
The plan would also include 16 processing sites that would hold up to 1,500 people each, the Post reported. One of those proposed sites could be located in Jefferson, Georgia.
The agency plans to modify the warehouses for human use, adding housing units, kitchens, a dining area, recreation areas, a medical unit, and more, the newspaper reported.
On New Year's Eve, Social Circle officials released a statement about the plan on Facebook that said they learned about ICE's draft solicitation through media reports.
"To date, no representative of the federal government, ICE, or the property owner has contacted the City in any way," the statement read.
Officials called the facility "infeasible," arguing that the city did not have the water or sewer infrastructure to support the massive influx of people within its limits. With a current resident count slightly less than 5,000, the plan could triple Social Circle's population, they said.
City leadership also brought up security concerns, arguing there was no site within Social Circle that was a safe distance from homes and schools should a breach occur.
"The Mayor and City Council of the City of Social Circle unequivocally does not support an ICE detention facility in the City or the surrounding areas," city officials wrote. "City officials are evaluating what authority, if any, the City has in this matter and will continue to oppose any efforts of this kind through all appropriate channels."
The draft solicitation by ICE is not finalized and could be adjusted in the coming weeks. Social Circle leaders say they have not received any applications from the agency or private vendors related to immigrant detention.
CBS News Atlanta has reached out to ICE officials for a statement on the plan and Social Circle's response and will update this story if they choose to respond.