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Planned ICE facility near Atlanta closer to becoming reality; could open by spring

By Jameson Moyer
Published  February 4, 2026 10:19pm EST
Walton County
FOX 5 Atlanta

The Brief

    • An ICE facility in metro Atlanta could be open as soon as April, city officials said.
    • The US Department of Homeland Security is moving toward a final purchase of an industrial site that could serve as a detention center in Social Circle.
    • City officials also said that the feds are preparing reports detailing the economic impact the facility will have.

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. - An ICE detention center set to sit just east of Atlanta is nearing reality despite city leaders' opposition to the proposed facility.

What they're saying:

Officials in the City of Social Circle said Wednesday that they participated in a call with Rep. Mike Collins (R-10), who informed them that the US Department of Homeland Security is in escrow for a vacant warehouse and moving toward final purchase with the intention of turning the site into an immigration detention center.

The city was also made aware that DHS has conducted an engineering evaluation of the city's utilities and is preparing an economic impact study, although these are not yet finalized.

Social Circle leaders said they have not been included in any evaluation or planning process for this facility and have requested that they be provided with these documents, along with an anticipated timeline, in writing.

Rep. Collins told the city that housing at the facility located on the 1300 block of East Hightower Trail is expected to begin by April.

Despite Collins' support of ICE and their apprehension of illegal immigrants, he acknowledged that Social Circle's infrastructure can not support the facility and the estimated 5,000 to 10,000 individuals ICE agents plan to detain in it.

"I have asked DHS to continue evaluating the impacts that the facility would have on Social Circle and to ensure we can accomplish the mission without negatively impacting this community," Collins wrote on Facebook. 

FOX 5 has reached to ICE for comment. 

The backstory:

News of ICE's plan to build a facility at the site first broke in January when The Washington Post detailed a proposal to renovate industrial warehouse facilities to hold up to 10,000 people before deportation.

RELATED: Social Circle officials oppose proposed ICE detention center, citing infrastructure limits

The Social Circle mayor and city council said they "unequivocally" oppose the plan and had no idea of what ICE was planning.

A key reason local leaders cited for opposition was the project's infeasibility.

Social Circle's population is around 5,000, and adding the ICE facility could triple it. The city's infrastructure could not support this number, according to officials, and, on top of that, there is no safe place for such a facility away from homes, businesses, and schools.

"The city will not tolerate a failure in security," the local government said. 

Dig deeper:

Online records indicate Ice operates six detention centers in Georgia. 

Those include:

  • FCI Atlanta at 601 McDonough Boulevard SE
  • Folkston D Ray ICE Processing Center at 3262 Highway 252E
  • Folkston ICE Processing Center (Annex) at 3424 Highway 252E
  • Folkston ICE Processing Center (Main) at 3026 Highway 252E
  • Irwin County Detention Center at 132 Cotton Drive
  • Stewart Detention Center at 146 CCA Road

There are about 479,000 undocumented immigrants in Georgia, according to a 2023 study conducted by the Migration Policy Institute. 

The Source: Information in this report comes from the City of Social Circle, Rep. Mike Collins, ICE, the Migration Policy Institute and prior FOX 5 reporting. 

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