Federal immigration enforcement is making headlines once again in small-town America, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) quietly finalized the purchase of large properties in both Social Circle, Georgia, and Berks County, Pennsylvania, with plans to convert them into detention facilities. The moves have sparked intense debate, confusion, and pushback from local officials and residents who say they were left out of the loop.
In Social Circle, Georgia, a city of about 5,000 people nestled in Walton County, city officials learned on Sunday, February 8, 2026, that ICE had officially taken ownership of a sprawling warehouse at 1365 E. Hightower Trail. According to a statement posted to the city’s Facebook page and reporting by 11Alive, this property—previously owned by Delaware-based PNK—was once slated to be a massive logistics and distribution center. Now, ICE intends to transform it into a detention facility capable of holding between 5,000 and 10,000 immigrants awaiting deportation, with housing expected to begin as soon as April 2026.
The news came as a shock to many in Social Circle. City officials say they were not consulted about the sale or the planning process. In fact, as recently as February 4, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and his staff had informed Social Circle leaders that the property was in escrow, moving toward final purchase by the Department of Homeland Security. Just days later, the deal was done. According to the city, “previous property owner PNK no longer owns the facility, and ICE is now the new owner.”
What’s more, Social Circle officials claim they have not been asked for input on the engineering evaluation of city utilities or any economic impact studies. “We have not provided any input, nor have we been asked,” the city emphasized in its statement. Instead, they have formally requested more information in writing, including clarification on the anticipated timeline for the facility’s opening.
The scale of the proposed facility is raising alarm bells. As outlined in both city communications and local news reports, the detention center would effectively double or even triple the city’s population overnight. The city’s infrastructure—especially water and sewer capacity—is not equipped for such an influx. In a December 31 Facebook post, Social Circle officials called the proposal “infeasible,” warning that “it doesn’t have the water and sewer capacity for a structure that would result in an effective tripling of the city’s population.”
Safety is another pressing concern. Mayor David Keener told 11Alive’s Grace King, “If you put that many people here, you obviously will have to house other support facilities. We would have to have more police officers. The sheriff’s department would probably have to help us with that... basically, citizens of Social Circle do not want this. Our city council opposes this as well.” The city also noted that there is “no site within its boundaries that will provide a safe distance from homes, businesses and schools,” and that it would “not tolerate a failure in security.”
The opposition is not just coming from city hall. In January, Social Circle residents packed a local town hall to voice their objections to the ICE facility. Their concerns echo those raised in 2022, when Longleaf, a logistics company, first proposed the site as a 1.3-million-square-foot industrial warehouse and a 1-million-square-foot distribution center. Many residents objected to that plan as well, according to The Walton Tribune.
Despite the backlash, federal plans seem to be moving forward rapidly. Rep. Collins and his staff indicated that housing at the facility could begin as early as April 2026. City officials, meanwhile, say they will continue to seek verified information and share updates with the public as they become available.
The story unfolding in Social Circle is not unique. Hundreds of miles north, in rural Berks County, Pennsylvania, a similar scenario is playing out. On Monday, February 9, 2026, a deed was filed confirming that ICE’s facilities management division had finalized the purchase of a 62-acre property at 3501 Mountain Road in Upper Bern Township for $87.4 million. The property, which includes a 527,000-square-foot warehouse formerly known as the Hamburg Logistics Center, sits just north of Interstate 78 and a few miles from Shartlesville. An Amazon fulfillment center is located about half a mile away.
According to Bloomberg News, the Berks County site is one of 23 locations nationwide identified for conversion into warehouse-based immigration detention centers, each capable of housing up to 1,500 people. A similar facility is being converted in Tremont Township, Schuylkill County, with capacity for 500 to 1,500 detainees. However, as in Social Circle, local officials in Upper Bern Township, Berks County, and at the state level were completely unaware of the sale until after it was finalized. “The township was not involved in this transfer and has not received any applications from either the prior or new owners regarding the future use of the property,” said Upper Bern Township Solicitor Andrew Hoffman in a statement. “The township has no further comment on this matter at this time.”
So far, no official plans or applications have been submitted detailing how ICE intends to use the Berks County property. The lack of transparency is fueling anxiety among residents and local leaders, who are left with more questions than answers about how the arrival of a large detention center could reshape their rural community.
The pattern of ICE quietly acquiring properties and moving forward with detention facility plans without local input is not isolated to Georgia and Pennsylvania. Across the country, similar purchases are underway in states like Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, and Missouri. Bloomberg News reports that the federal government is seeking to expand detention capacity as part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy, with each new facility capable of holding thousands of people. Yet, in community after community, local officials and residents say they are being kept in the dark until deals are already done.
This approach has prompted legislative responses in some states. According to USA Today, states like New York, Massachusetts, and Delaware have introduced or passed bills banning new or expanded immigration detention centers, aiming to prevent private landowners from selling properties to the federal government for such purposes. Still, the federal government’s power to override local zoning and regulation means that, in many cases, local resistance may have little practical effect.
For now, the future of these new ICE facilities remains uncertain. In both Social Circle and Berks County, local leaders are demanding answers and urging transparency, while residents grapple with the prospect of dramatic changes to their communities. As the federal government pushes ahead with its plans, the tension between national policy and local impact is playing out in real time, leaving small towns across America to reckon with consequences they had little say in shaping.
As Social Circle and Berks County await further details, the debate over immigration enforcement and local autonomy is set to continue, with the voices of small-town America growing louder in the national conversation.