The small town of Social Circle, Georgia - population just over 4,000, plus a whole lot of horses - has apparently stared down the Department of Homeland Security and won. The feds have cancelled plans to turn a local warehouse into what would have been one of the country's largest immigration detention centers, capable of holding up to 10,000 people. That's roughly three times the town's current population, which would have made for some very awkward water rationing.
Homeland Security had purchased the warehouse in early February for $128 million - a figure that's nearly five times its assessed value of $29 million last year, according to city manager Eric Taylor. Yes, the federal government paid a premium of about $99 million for the privilege of making everyone in town furious.
Residents of Social Circle, which sits in a county where nearly 75% of voters backed Trump, nonetheless began mobilizing against the plan. Because nothing unites a community quite like the prospect of your sewage system collapsing under the weight of 10,000 new neighbors.
Taylor, who achieved minor hero status by shutting off the federal government's access to water at the warehouse in February, didn't stop there. He reached out to US Representative Mike Collins and Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, who got involved. Groups like Indivisible Boldly Blue and Indivisible GA 10 also piled on. Before long, Taylor was fielding calls from reporters in France and Japan. "I never thought I'd have to deal with anything of this magnitude," he said. "It's amazing the focus on this small town, just minding its own business."
Last month, Social Circle became the first small town to sue the federal government over detention center plans, using a novel legal strategy that made experts sit up and take notice. In late May, Taylor "began hearing rumors" that Homeland Security was pulling out. Sources at the agency and Collins confirmed it, but Taylor wanted it in writing. The federal government, true to form, never replied.
"At this point, we're not sure anyone's going to put it in writing," Taylor said. "From the very beginning, this is how this whole thing has evolved… we've had to piecemeal what the situation is."
On Friday morning, he offered a cautious: "We hope everything is what it seems to be." Homeland Security did not respond to the Guardian's query, which is basically their signature move at this point.
It's unclear whether the agency will offer the warehouse to another federal agency or sell it to a private buyer. Taylor prefers the latter, since the feds don't pay taxes on the property - the former owners, PNK Group, paid about $300,000 in taxes last year. "If they want to consider giving it to us, we'll take it off their hands," he said. Failing that, he offered some unsolicited advice: "Hopefully they've learned their lesson here and communicate with us from the very beginning." A lesson the Trump administration has shown little interest in learning, but a man can dream.