Ossoff probes plan to convert Social Circle warehouse into ICE detention center

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff launched an inquiry last week into alleged plans to convert a warehouse in Social Circle into an immigration detention center.

Ossoff sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stating that local residents and officials have expressed strong opposition to the reported proposal.

“A proposed ICE detention facility is not right for Social Circle, and the City of Social Circle does not support it. We are urging the Administration to abandon this plan, which risks overwhelming the City’s resources and more than tripling its population,”Ossoff and Social Circle Mayor David Keener said in a joint statement.

Social Circle has a population of about 5,000 people, and the reported warehouses would hold between 5,000 to 10,000 immigrant detainees, according to the statement.

Social Circle City Manager Eric Taylor told Georgia Public Broadcasting the opposition to the warehouse is not political with around 75% of residents voting for Trump in 2024.

“The frustration here is that they’re looking at a building that was not built for human habitation. This is not something, hands down, that the city can support,” he said.

Ossoff said in his statement that city and county officials have received any clarification from ICE about the facility.

“I urge the Department to carefully consider the significant concerns raised by Social Circle’s leaders and citizens regarding the proposed ICE facility. I further urge the Department to promptly engage the City’s leadership to ensure that its citizens receive critical information regarding the proposed facility and its potential impacts on their community,” Ossoff said in the statement.