DHS Secretary says ICE detention centers are ‘not Holiday Inns’
DHS Section Markwayne Mullin denies allegations of hunger strikes at an ICE detention center in New Jersey, saying ICE detention is “not a Holiday Inn.”
In a surprising change of direction, President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security is backing away from a proposal to turn a huge vacant warehouse in the small town of Social Circle, Georgia, into a mega-detention center for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The news was confirmed by city officials on Thursday following a New York Times report that Social Circle was one of seven sites abandoned by DHS. The report follows weeks of rumors circulating in Georgia communities that led to the removal of guards from two ICE locations in Georgia.
While the decision may temporarily breathe a sigh of relief to those in social circles, there are still many unanswered questions, including why the plan was scrapped, what will happen to the government-owned warehouses, and whether the Trump administration might reconsider the detention “megacenter” model in the future.
Here’s what we currently know about Georgia’s two proposed ICE facilities.
Social Circle ICE Detention Centers Not Moving Ahead
New York Times reporter Hamed Areaziz published a list of seven locations scrapped by DHS on Thursday afternoon, following a report that did not name the exact locations. Social Circle, Georgia and Flowery Branch (Oakwood), Georgia both appeared on the list, but there was no official confirmation from each city.
However, just hours after this article was published, just before 6 p.m. on June 18, Social Circle officials publicly acknowledged to the community for the first time that they were included on the list.
“The City of Social Circle has received notification from Congressman Mike Collins that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not pursuing ICE detention facilities within the City of Social Circle. This information is based on confirmation from multiple sources within DHS,” the statement reads. “Based on the information provided to the City, it is our understanding that this property may be sold if no other federal agency expresses an interest in this property. Although the exact process has not been confirmed, it is anticipated that the sale will be conducted through the General Services Administration (GSA).”
This would be a huge loss to the federal government. According to previous reports, the Social Circle warehouse was purchased for $128 million, which was several times its fair market value.
“The city anticipates that this property will eventually return to the local tax base and once again contribute to the economic vitality and long-term success of the Social Circle community,” a city statement said.
City Manager Eric Taylor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he started hearing about the plan in late May but did not receive confirmation until he heard from Collins.
USA TODAY has reached out to Collins’ office multiple times to campaign about ICE facilities, but has not received a response.
Oakwood officials have not been informed of their fate.
The same fate cannot be said for Oakwood, where a processing facility intended to supply the megacenter was previously planned.
Flowery Branch, right next door to Oakwood, has been listed by the New York Times as a landscape to be removed, but city officials have not been contacted by DHS, Collins or anyone else about this decision.
City planner BR White told USA TODAY on Friday that rumors had been swirling for weeks that the Oakwood project would be canceled, but the city still had no confirmation after the announcement from social circles. “I hope that’s true,” White said.
This has been a trend in towns north of Atlanta in recent months. Despite being closely tied to Social Circle’s plans, no one from DHS, ICE or Collins’ office has contacted city officials since the warehouse along Atlanta Highway was purchased earlier this year. Most of the information the city receives comes from social circles, news reports, or rumors.
In a pre-report interview with The New York Times, White said he would not believe the battle with DHS was over until he saw not only the Oakwood warehouse return to the market, but the tax revenue from the property returned to the town following an acquisition with a non-federal buyer.
After months of silence from DHS, White said it’s hard to trust what the agency is saying now. White and other city officials had to work hard to regain residents’ trust after assuring Oakwood residents that they had not been informed of the jail plans in advance. He said he will know the fight with DHS is over not only when the warehouse is put back on the market, but also when it is sold to a non-federal buyer and the tax revenue generated from the property is thereby returned to the city.
For now, they will continue to wait.
Opposition celebrates victory
Although details are unclear, grassroots groups and local activist groups are celebrating the victory.
In a joint statement from Georgia State Assembly District 10 Indivisible and Walton County Indivisible Baldry Blue, activists said they were “overjoyed” at the news and said “it never makes sense to have a huge jail in a small town social circle.”
“(Thursday’s) announcement that the Department of Homeland Security is abandoning the Social Circle Detention Center shows that when citizens come together with courage, integrity, bipartisan resolve, and mutual respect, they can contribute to victories for the entire community,” the groups said. “From the moment news broke about DHS’ plans last December, we have rallied around one message: ‘Detention Centers are not welcome.’
The Rev. Dallas Ann Thompson, a pastor who led vigils outside Oakwood’s scheduled location during Lent with other members of the Christian community, said in an interview with USA TODAY that his first reaction to the news was one of gratitude.
“I think there’s an overwhelming sense of gratitude that something like this doesn’t happen in our community, for different people and different reasons,” Thompson said. That said, she said her family is “still angry about how much money ended up in their hands.”
“Was this the plan all along, or was it just to piss people off and get money? Who’s making money? So there’s still a lot of (thoughts). I think the first reaction was gratitude, and I think I’m still there myself. But as much as it makes people question how unpleasant this is from the beginning, I’m glad our town won’t be home to something like that,” Thompson said.
White told USA TODAY that, like Social Circle, the Oakwood property was purchased for 25% above fair market value. That means the federal government stands to lose millions of dollars, even if the site is sold and tax revenue returns to the town.
Senators Warnock and Ossoff celebrate action in Georgia
Rep. Mike Collins may have called his social circles, but Sen. Raphael Warnock and Sen. Jon Ossoff tried to pass a bill that would block the project in Washington and one that would require the federal government to get local approval from towns before moving forward with such new projects.
Members of the social circle thanked the senator and both congratulated the DHS news.
“From the beginning, the Social Circle community was united in opposing this proposal, which risked overwhelming the city’s infrastructure. This news proves once again that public pressure and opposition can work,” Ossoff said in a statement. “I congratulate Social Circle Mayor David Keener, City Manager Eric Taylor, and the entire community on this accomplishment, and I will continue to stand with Georgia communities in the fight against this administration’s overreach.”
Warnock said in a call with reporters Friday that the decision is “a victory for the people of Georgia. If we stand up and speak out, the people are stronger than the people in power.”
Warnock described a visit to Social Circle earlier this year and a direct conversation he had with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
“A city of 5,000 people would have tripled in size with this detention center. So it was clear to me then, and it is now, that this White House and this administration saw Social Circle concerns as nothing more than a thorn in their side. This administration would not back down until the Social Circle story was elevated to a national level,” Warnock told reporters. “I fought for my social circle because I was elected to serve all Georgians. And I promised that I would show up again and again for all Georgians. And I will continue to show up and continue to speak out.”
Eileen Wright covers Georgia politics as an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
