Social Circle residents voice approval of city turning off water to planned ICE detention center

Residents in the small Georgia town of Social Circle are supportive of the city leaders' latest steps in its push-back against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plan to turn a local warehouse in a massive facility for housing immigrant detainees.

The city manager said the city recently locked the water meter to the site of the planned detention center on Knox Chapel Road.

"A representative from ICE was informed about the lock on the meter shortly after the sale of the property when she inquired about how to establish an account," a statement for the city read. "The lock is there until ICE indicates how water and sewer will be served without exceeding our limited infrastructure capacity."

City officials say Social Circle's permit allows it to draw 1 million gallons a day, and its sewer plant, which is currently "at capacity," can process 660,000 gallons daily.

"Their [bottom line up front] analysis indicates a daily water and sewer need that exceeds these amounts," the statement reads.

John Miller, whose farm is across from the proposed site, is glad the city is taking action.

"We are supposed to be a country by the people for the people, and I don't know if that's how you could say that's where we are when you leave us out of the conversation," said Miller.

Miller moved to Social Circle over 20 years ago with his wife and children to start a farm.

"We have horses, we have pigs, we have sheep, everything you'd expect to have on a farm," said Miller. "We have seven kids, and we wanted a nice quiet place where we could raise our kids, where we didn't have to worry about them."

He's worried that will change if ICE turns the warehouse across the street from his farm into a detention center. Agency documents note the facility could hold up to 10,000 people and would employ another 2,500.

"That's going to drastically triple the amount of commutes in that two-lane bypass on that day-to-day basis. You get to the water, you get to another aspect of it," said Miller.

Water is a major concern for the city, which has a population of slightly under 5,500. City officials say they don't have the capacity to support the facility's water needs.

"The city has been very bold and very strong from the beginning," said Gareth Fenley, who lives in Walton County and has been protesting the facility.

Several groups have told the federal government that Social Circle doesn't want ICE as its neighbor.

"We're saying the detention center is wrong for Social Circle, and there are people opposed for many different reasons," said Fenley.

"It has brought a lot of unity in the town, which I really appreciate. I try to look for silver linings in really bad situations," said Miller.

According to ICE documents, detainees could start to move in sometime between mid-May and June.