Social Circle sues DHS, ICE over planned detention facility

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The site of a proposed a 10,000-person ICE detention center on East Hightower Trail in Social Circle. (FOX 5 Atlanta)

MACON, Ga. - The City of Social Circle is suing the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over a planned detention facility in the town.

Lawsuit over Social Circle ICE facility

What we know:

The city hired San Francisco-based law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP to represent them in the suit, which was filed Wednesday in federal court for the Middle District of Georgia. The lawsuit names both agencies and their leaders—Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and ICE Director Todd M. Lyons—in their official capacities.

Social Circle suing ICE

What they're saying:

The town argues that the agencies broke the law when they purchased and began converting a former warehouse at 1365 East Hightower Trail into a "mega center" to detain people. It alleges the federal government failed to perform legally required due diligence to ensure the site would not negatively impact Social Circle’s 5,000 residents. The lawsuit specifically cites violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

Read the full lawsuit

According to the filing, the facility—designed to house 10,000 people and requiring 2,500 employees—would effectively triple the town's population. The city argues this would lead to severe infrastructure risks, including dry water taps and raw sewage spills. Additionally, the facility would be located less than 1,000 feet from a residential subdivision and less than a mile from an elementary school, raising safety concerns for the 1,100 enrolled children.

In the suit, the city asks a federal judge to declare that the purchase violated the NEPA and APA. Furthermore, it seeks to vacate the purchase of the facility and prevent the federal government from building any other detention centers within the town limits.

Social Circle locks utility box

The backstory:

Social Circle officials have been speaking out against the facility since it was first proposed, at one point even placing a lock on a utility box at the site to hinder progress.

ICE response

The other side:

DHS told FOX 5 that the department is reviewing all proposals now that Sec. Mullin is in charge.

"As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals. As Secretary Mullin said in his confirmation hearing: ‘I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the President set out… We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners.’"