The immigration detention center in Charlton County has been given the green light to create the largest facility in the U.S.
Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter confirmed Friday that he landed a contract with the Department of Homeland Security to combine the D. Ray James Correctional Facility and the Folkston ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Processing Center.
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It will have about 3,000 beds and is expected to bring about 400 jobs to the area.
“With this expansion, Georgia will strengthen its status as a national leader in the fight to secure our southern border. I’m proud to have worked with Charlton County to get the D. Ray James Correctional Facility expansion over the finish line, which will bring jobs and economic growth to our region, and I will continue to support our brave ICE agents as they seek to restore law and order,” Carter said in a news release.
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Action News Jax first told you that the vote was put on hold Wednesday. Immigration advocates were protesting outside the meeting when the vote was set to take place.
Charlton County Administrator Glenn Hull told Action News Jax on Wednesday that the agreement was worth more than $47 million.
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However, he got a call from ICE on Wednesday, saying federal policy prevents the Department of Homeland Security from entering into an agreement of more than $20 million.
Action News Jax asked a representative from Carter’s office about this on Friday, and they said that all procedural hurdles had been cleared.
The City of Folkston is expected to receive approximately $600,000 a year in revenue from water and sewer services to the facility, Carter’s office said.
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