Local law enforcement officials have concerns regarding ICE center in Social Circle

Local jurisdictions could potentially lose personnel to the agency

The warehouse where ICE reportedly plans to establish a detention center in Social Circle sits on the Social Circle Parkway at the intersection with Hightower Trail. Photo credit: Stephen Milligan | The Walton Tribune

According to Social Circle officials, the sale of the initially proposed data center building to the federal government for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement center is now complete. There will be an ICE detention center in Social Circle, and it is likely to open by April.

The Covington News reported that the U.S. government paid $128,555,500 to PNK S1, LLC to purchase a 235-acre lot at 1365 East Hightower Trail. The property currently contains a warehouse that is expected to be used as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility housing some 5,000–10,000 detainees, which could effectively triple the population of Social Circle.

The issue has generated concerns among area residents as well as local officials in Social Circle about the potential strain on infrastructure. It is also a concern for the law enforcement community in Walton County and its cities.

At the February 2026 TRIAD meeting last week, Walton County Sheriff’s Office Division Commander Maj. Darren Vinson spoke on behalf of Sheriff Keith Brooks, who was not in attendance. He gave an update on the new jail, which became fully operational last year, and reported that one of the major points of pride was staffing within the sheriff’s office and the jail.

“We’ve been in the facility for 5 months and it is going well. We are smoothing things out and have been able to get all employees a raise based on merit, years of experience, military and education. We fought hard for a merit raise that went into effect in January. We have to compete with other agencies around and make sure we can match it so we can keep the retention rate here,” Vinson said, adding that with the ICE facility coming to the area, there is concern that local agencies could lose employees to the federal government. “From 2020 to 2024 we hired 262 and lost 189 but there is a concern they will go for the money.”

Loganville Police Chief Dick Lowry shares Vinson’s concerns, noting that ICE is definitely coming and that if the agency begins hiring locally, area departments could lose staff members, “especially since they are offering a $50,000 sign on bonus.”

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency is offering signing bonuses of up to $50,000 as part of a major recruitment push aimed at adding 10,000 new officers over four years. This initiative is funded by the $8 billion in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed in 2025. These bonuses are targeting new deportation officers, special agents and, in some cases, retired federal employees returning to the workforce. The $50,000 may be structured over several years, with incentives tied to application timing and retention. ICE is also offering up to $60,000 in student loan repayment or forgiveness, 25% premium pay for certain agents and enhanced retirement benefits. There are already reports in other states of state troopers leaving to join ICE.

Lowry also wanted to clarify misinformation circulating on social media that the Loganville Police Department is not cooperating with ICE. He said it is state law in Georgia, as well as under the Laken Riley Criminal Alien Act, that all law enforcement agencies work with ICE.

“It is not a federal mandate but it does require us to do this. Here is what is required in Georgia,” Lowry said. “If we stop someone for speeding and they can’t produce a license or whatever other information is present that will lead that officer to believe that person is in the country illegally, the officer is required to bring the person to the police department and contact ICE. ICE has multiple data bases and they tell us either, ‘Yes we want them or no we don’t.’ If they want us to hold onto them, we issue an arrest warrant or a detainer. However, if somebody presents a valid immigration document, none of that happens – only with people who don’t have documentation.”

Lowry went on to explain that while he has heard of some police chiefs saying they are not going to cooperate, that is not how it works locally.

“My Oath of Office requires me to enforce the law – period. I don’t know about Minnesota. I don’t know their oath, but I know in the state of Georgia any officer can be prosecuted for a violation of their Oath of Office. We are not ICE agents and they don’t want us to be ICE agents. We are not trained to be ICE agents. But if they come to Loganville and ask us to work with them, that is what we do. Nearly every time we have a municipal court date, they come. If these people have been run through ICE and there’s something that comes up showing that this person is wanted by ICE and has a detainer, they’ll be there in court. We have never had a confrontation with anybody there. Sometimes it is a whole lot easier for them to go to Walton County to the confines of the jail, and if that’s what they want to do that is what we want them to do.”

Lowry also addressed social media posts insinuating that Loganville is not working with ICE, referencing the specific incident that sparked the comments.

“We had an accident that occurred where a guy rear ended another on Highway 81 and Tig Knight. The guy who rear ended fled. While we were still there working the incident, here comes the van that ran into the back, but now it’s a lady driving. She said, ‘this is my vehicle that’s my brother. He works for me he got scared because he doesn’t have a license and I told him we don’t play that game.’ He got out of the van and we wrote him three tickets, booked him and the police gave him a ride to Walton County,” Lowry said. “But he did have a valid immigration document. He is an immigrant, but he is not illegal.”

Lowry said he was 19 years old and came to court for all of his court dates.

“He was convicted of all three driving offenses, was fined I think $2,200 in fines and was put on 4 months probation to make sure he’s paying it off. I checked and he is paying – and there’s a whole lot of folks that don’t. But this kid is not like an arch criminal. He was just scared. He made a mistake but then he owned up to it. This has been the basis of all this rigmarole – that’s the facts,” Lowry said. “There is nothing in state or federal law that allows us as law enforcement to hold somebody who doesn’t have an immigration hold. Now if they do, ICE has 48 hours to get them. We have got enough things to worry about, but you all can take notice my officers do exactly what they’re supposed to do.”

There is also concern that once the ICE center is up and running in Social Circle, activists will come to the area and cause issues that may require local law enforcement to get involved in keeping the peace. However, Lowry and Vinson agreed that First Amendment rights to peaceful protest will obviously be honored, but only if the protest is done legally.

“Legal protests only. If anybody tries to protest illegally, they will be arrested and taken to Walton County Jail,” Lowry said. “We don’t play that Minnesota game here.”