Homeland Security Cancels $128 Million Georgia Detention Center Plan After 10,000-Bed Backlash
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 19
Homeland Security Cancels $128 Million Georgia Detention Center Plan After 10,000-Bed Backlash
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 19
Summary
Social Circle said Homeland Security has dropped plans to convert a warehouse into a detention center for up to 10,000 people, a project that would have tripled the small Georgia town’s population.
The reversal follows months of local resistance, including the town’s lawsuit last month, complaints over water, sewage and emergency-service strain, and the city manager’s move in February to cut federal access to water.
The federal government bought the warehouse in early February for $128 million—nearly five times its $29 million assessed value—and has not said whether it will sell the property or transfer it to another agency.
The Social Circle retreat appears to be one of seven warehouse cancellations nationwide, part of a broader Trump administration pullback after roughly $1 billion was spent to expand detention capacity.