Residents Protest Planned ICE Detention Center in Small Georgia Town

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

More than 100 residents of Walton County, Georgia gathered outside the historic courthouse in Monroe on Sunday to protest plans by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to convert a warehouse into an immigration detention facility in the small town of Social Circle. Locals are concerned about the strain the 10,000-person detention center would place on the town's resources, as well as its proximity to the local elementary school, just two miles away.

Why it matters

The proposed detention center has sparked outrage among Social Circle residents who fear the facility will overwhelm their small town's infrastructure and raise public safety concerns, especially given its location near an elementary school. The protest highlights growing tensions over immigration detention policies in local communities across the U.S.

The details

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to convert a warehouse in Social Circle, a town of fewer than 5,000 residents, into an immigration detention facility that would hold 10,000 people. City leaders and residents have raised concerns about the strain the large facility could place on local resources, as well as its proximity to Social Circle Elementary School, which is located just two miles away.

• The protest took place on Sunday, March 9, 2026 outside the historic courthouse in Monroe, Georgia.