Social Circle sues ICE, DHS over proposed 10,000-bed immigration detention center in Georgia
The small Georgia town of Social Circle is suing federal immigration authorities in an effort to stop plans for a proposed 10,000-bed immigration detention facility that city leaders say could overwhelm local infrastructure and harm the surrounding environment.
According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, the city alleges that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security failed to complete legally required environmental reviews before moving forward with plans to convert a warehouse into what officials describe as an immigration detention "mega center."
The case, City of Social Circle v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al., seeks to halt the project while the courts review whether federal officials violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and Georgia public nuisance law.
Attorneys representing the city said the project would effectively triple Social Circle's population and place "unsustainable strain" on critical infrastructure in the town of roughly 5,000 residents located about 50 miles east of Atlanta.
The lawsuit centers on a commercial warehouse located at 1365 East Hightower Trail, which federal officials allegedly purchased in February with plans to convert the site into a detention facility capable of housing 10,000 detainees and employing an additional 2,500 staff members.
City leaders argue the project would place severe pressure on local water and wastewater systems that are already operating near capacity.
According to the complaint, the proposed facility would require more than one million additional gallons of water per day and generate similar levels of wastewater — demands the city says its current infrastructure cannot safely support.
The lawsuit also argues federal agencies failed to adequately coordinate with the community or evaluate the broader environmental and public health consequences of the proposal before advancing the project.
Social Circle is not alone in expressing opposition or concern over proposed immigration detention expansion projects.
Other communities, including Oakwood, have previously raised questions or concerns about similar ICE-related detention plans.
Local governments in states including Texas and Pennsylvania have also pushed back against proposed detention expansions.
Social Circle, incorporated in 1869, spans roughly 11 square miles across Walton County and neighboring areas east of metro Atlanta.
As of Thursday evening, neither ICE nor DHS had publicly responded to the lawsuit.
