ICE wanted to build a detention centre – this small farming town said no

ICE’s Proposed Detention Center Faces Resistance in Rural Georgia

For months, two local residents, Democrat Gareth Fenley and conservative John Miller, have worked together on the same goal. Each day, they start their vehicles and travel several miles along the winding farm roads of their small Georgia town to a vacant one-million square-foot gray warehouse. Their routine involves scanning for signs of construction, offering quiet relief whenever the large structure remains unaltered.

The sprawling industrial building, acquired by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in February, is part of a $38.3bn initiative to establish numerous immigration detention facilities nationwide. This effort has drawn strong backlash, not only from progressive communities but also from conservative areas like Social Circle, where the majority of voters backed Donald Trump in the previous election—including his pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

“People have different reasons for aligning with the exact same message,” Fenley remarked. “That message is: ‘Detention centre, not welcome here.'” Many supporters of the administration’s immigration policies worry that the facility would overwhelm the town’s essential resources, tripling its population and transforming a place once known for its quaint Blue Willow Inn restaurant into a prison-dominated environment.

In March, City Manager Eric Taylor made a bold move by shutting off the water supply to the warehouse. This decision turned the one-stoplight town into a surprising symbol of resistance against the government’s plans. “If you open up that water meter, it gives them full access to the entire supply of the whole city,” Taylor explained to the BBC. “I can’t let that happen without knowing what the ultimate impact is going to be.”

Now, the plans for a 10,000-person detention center seem stalled. The department has also paused its search for additional warehouses similar to the one in Social Circle, though the future of the buildings it has already invested in remains uncertain. DHS did not directly respond to the BBC’s inquiry about Social Circle’s facility. “As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals,” a statement from the department said.

Taylor noted that DHS canceled a planned meeting about the warehouse due to a “department review of processes” under new leadership. Residents are cautiously optimistic, but their hope is tempered. “We’re anxious to see what happens out of this review,” Miller said. “They have already pulled the trigger on it. They have already bought the building, so there’s going to be some effects no matter what’s done or not done.” Miller added that the community continues to push for input during the review.

A Town’s Historical Legacy in the Fight

In the center of Social Circle stands a replica of a well, a tribute to the town’s origins in 1832. A historical plaque describes how a group of men gathered around a well to share their usual drink when they invited a passing stranger to join them. “This is surely a social circle,” the stranger reportedly said. Nearly two centuries later, the wells of Social Circle have become central to the residents’ battle against the ICE facility.

Taylor highlighted the town’s water system, which serves 5,000 people, has struggled for decades. The proposed ICE center would require one million gallons of water daily, exceeding the town’s current permit of one million gallons. “I told them at that time that there was a lock on the water meter, and it was there until we had a better understanding of what the impact was going to be on our water,” Taylor said.

Miller, whose 50-acre horse farm borders the warehouse, criticized the lack of thorough evaluation in selecting sites. “It’s the same story over and over,” he said. “Communities weren’t informed. They weren’t consulted.” He added, “I understand the why, but I just don’t understand how they’re handling it.” Federal officials have suggested solutions like drilling a new well on-site or transporting a million gallons daily via trucks, but Miller remains skeptical about the feasibility of these options.