Georgia Immigration Detention Center
Author: Jameel Manji, Founder, Manji Law, P.C.
Mr. Manji founded Manji Law in 2016 to follow his passion of helping people navigate the complicated immigration system. Mr. Manji graduated from Georgia State University College of Law and received Master of Taxation from the Georgia State’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. Published on: February 14, 2019, Last Updated on: October 26, 2023.
There is more than one Immigration Detention Facility in Georgia, so if you or a loved one is arrested in the state of Georgia as a suspected illegal immigrant, there is more than one holding location you may be detained in. A Georgia immigration attorney shares everything you need to know about immigration jails in the state on this page.
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Manji Law is your complete immigration solution. If you are seeking assistance with the Georgia Immigration Detention Center, please give us a call. Manji Law can provide valuable insight, assistance, and a guiding hand to help you achieve your goals.
Georgia Immigration Detention Centers
You will find multiple Georgia Immigration jails within hours of Atlanta, GA. Since the Trump Administration guaranteed to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions to secure borders and deport undocumented and criminal immigrants, these centers will likely be seeing more activity.
The United States Supreme Court recently upheld the newest iteration of the controversial traveling ban. It appears that the reach of ICE will expand, and a more significant number of immigrants will be held in immigration prisons awaiting deportation.
In Georgia, immigrants targeted by ICE might be taken to the Irwin County facility, Folkston, or Stewart County Immigration Centers.
According to ICE data, Stewart has the highest removal rate among ICE detainees. The lack of legal representation is one factor behind this exceptionally high deportation rate. It’s not like how criminal court works; immigration detainees aren’t entitled to legal counsel. Furthermore, many cannot hire an attorney because they cannot afford it, even though they are entitled.
This discrepancy makes it even more vital for detainees and their families to retain qualified immigration attorneys. Jameel Manji of Manji Law is an experienced and compassionate immigration lawyer who has made a name for himself helping the less fortunate.
Aside from the obvious need for legal assistance, detainees and their families should know the Georgia Immigration Detention Center’s operating conditions.
Georgia Immigration Detention Facts & Figures
Georgia immigration continues to be an issue for the state, as it is home to approximately one million immigrants.
They can be divided into a few specific groups, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, native-born citizens with one (or more) immigrant parents, naturalized U.S. citizens, refugees, researchers, and undocumented individuals.
Although Georgia’s immigration law is similar to those found throughout the U.S., some rules are unique to Georgia. E-verify rules and regulations for state/city legislation enforcement are unique to the state. There are also agencies and local sites with additional guidelines.
Get in touch with an immigration lawyer in Atlanta to get legal advice on how to contact detainees, protect your legal rights, and what recourse you may be able to take for any maltreatment or other legal issues.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Centers in Georgia
There are three main civil immigration detention facilities in Georgia:
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Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia.
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Folkston ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia.
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Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
The Irwin County Detention Center
The Irwin County, Georgia Detention Center is identified by a hand-painted sign on a solitary building surrounded by barbed wire fencing. It is found about a mile out from Ocilla, Georgia, 200 kilometers from Atlanta. This immigration custody center has 1,200 beds, making it the largest employer in the county.
It can be found at 132 Cotton Drive, Ocilla, GA 31774, and is open for visitors from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday to Sunday. Female detainees receive a maximum of one-hour visits on Fridays and Sundays; male detainee visits are on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Irwin Detention Center started housing immigration detainees in compliance with the ICE in late 2010. Since then, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Project South’s legal and advocacy director (an Atlanta-based human rights organization) criticized this detention facility for poor health and safety standards.
As a result, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas directed ICE to stop detaining immigrants at the facility and also directed ICE to terminate an agreement with the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.
For representation, if you feel that you suffered medical abuse at the Irwin County Detention Center, contact a qualified immigration attorney to advocate for your immigration rights in Georgia.
Folkston ICE Processing Center
The Folkston GA ICE Processing Center is situated in Folkston, Georgia, and is traditionally used for processing immigrants. An immigration attorney from Atlanta can provide more information.
Located in a remote area of southeast Georgia, the Folkston ICE Processing Center is situated close to Brunswick, Georgia, and Jacksonville, FL. Its address is 3026 GA-252 in Folkston, GA 31537, and it can be reached at (912) 496-6905.
Folkston, GA, ICE Processing Center is near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, roughly five hours from Atlanta.
According to ICE, its choice to use Folkston was partly due to the inability of other prisons to accommodate additional detainees and its proximity to the Jacksonville International Airport in Florida.
The majority of those housed in the Folkston ICE Processing Center are Central American and Mexican immigrants and those from Cameroon, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Nepal, and Pakistan.
This center is designated for male detainees apprehended at the U.S./Mexican boundary and ports of entry in Texas and California.
No matter their native country, the Folkston ICE Processing Center inmates would benefit from an Atlanta immigration attorney’s counsel.
Those wishing to visit immigration detainees of the Folkston ICE Processing Center are allowed to between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA
One of the most remote DHS detention facilities within the U.S, the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA, is also one of the biggest. Situated in Lumpkin, the Stewart Detention Center accommodates a maximum of 1,924 detainees.
Immigrant detainees here hail from various locations throughout the U.S., including New York and South Carolina. One of the reasons the number of detainees has increased in recent years is the national fingerprint-sharing program called “Secure Communities.”
If you (or any family members) are an inmate at the Stewart detention in Lumpkin, GA, it is vital to reach out to a skilled immigration lawyer.
If you are in deportation proceedings or awaiting appeal, you will be unable to use the standard application procedures. Your immigration case is in the control of the courts. An expert immigration attorney can advise you of your options.
If the case is already over, you may still find a way to discover whether current proceedings affect an existing immigration application by consulting a seasoned immigration law firm.
Atlanta City Detention Center
In 2018, Atlanta, Georgia Detention Centers decided to end their cooperation with ICE.
Following an extensive grassroots campaign documenting human rights violations from the jail, Atlanta stopped enabling city jails as immigration detention facilities.
Many immigrants held at the Atlanta City Detention Center experienced (or observed) human rights violations.
These included solitary confinement for subjective reasons, intimidation and threats from the guards, sexual assault, grossly inadequate health and mental wellness care, extremely poor-quality food, and an uncompensated labor schedule.
ICE has since entered into a different arrangement for the detention of immigrants in Georgia. In August, the bureau started detaining immigrants in the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility at Lovejoy. The facility is owned by Clayton County, roughly twenty-five minutes from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The privately-owned GEO Group’s detention facilities possess a high track record of human rights offenses, including inadequate dental, medical, and emotional health care; random solitary confinement; the refusal of personal hygiene products; and moldy and inedible meals.
As a result of those horrible circumstances, suicide and attempted suicide are common in GEO-run centers.
Other localities have stopped their contracts with private prison companies and ICE in the wake of these violations. If you have been a victim of one of the many human rights violations at one of the detentions, contact a skilled Atlanta attorney.
How Can I Find Out If Someone Is Being Held in a Georgia Immigration Detention Center?
To find out if someone is being held in a Georgia Immigration Detention Center, you can start by checking with the local ICE facility, especially known centers like the Deyton Detention Facility in Metro Atlanta or others in Southwest Georgia.
Many of these centers are operated by private prison companies, such as the Corrections Corporation. For media inquiries, reaching out to the DHS office might provide some leads. Also, consider seeking pro bono legal assistance or contacting the assistant warden or medical staff of the facility.
Additionally, while local jobs or national figures from the Census Bureau may not directly provide detainee information, they can give insights into facility operations and staff, which could indirectly assist your search. Always ensure background checks are done within legal parameters.
Expert Counsel for Folkston GA ICE Processing Center
Let our expert and timely immigration legal team help you navigate the Folkston, GA, ICE Processing Center. Contact us today, and we will start working on your case right away!
Expert Counsel for Folkston GA ICE Processing Center
Let our experienced and responsive immigration legal team help you navigate the Folkston, GA, ICE Processing Center.
Expert Counsel for Folkston GA ICE Processing Center
Let our experienced and responsive immigration legal team help you navigate the Folkston GA ICE Processing Center.
Atlanta City Jail Inmate Search
To run an Atlanta City Jail inmate search, utilize the inmate’s nine-digit “A-number” using the online detainee locator program.
To find info regarding an immigration detainee kept at this facility, you need to telephone the center between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Make sure that you have accurate biographical information of the inmate, including names (first, last, and even hyphenated), any possible aliases, the nation of birth, and birthdate.
Note that detainees aren’t allowed to accept incoming phone calls. You can leave a message requesting an immigration detainee to return the call. You may be required to submit the detainee’s full name and registration number, as well as your name and a phone number at which you can be reached.
The detainee will receive your message. This contact method is consistent through all ICE detentions.
To help navigate the system, relatives should get in touch with an experienced immigration attorney who can make the process of contacting someone in a Georgia Immigration Detention easier.
How Long Can a Jail Hold Detained Immigrants?
Federal law says federal authorities cannot hold immigration detainees 24 hours a day when they have completed incarceration. Upon reaching the prison, if you are arrested in two days, the embassy will arrest the convicted indefinitely. If you do not stay in the country, you can face deportation as of today.
How ICE Enforces Immigration Laws and Regulations
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforces immigration legal guidelines by apprehension, deportation, and legal prosecution. The agency’s priority is to capture undocumented immigrants who have already been convicted of unlawful entry or re-entry into America.
Detainees with felonies or pending criminal charges are processed for deportation more quickly than those with misdemeanors. Compared with earlier years, ICE is relocating away from deporting legal immigrants and focusing on criminals with recent legal precedents.
Contact a legal professional for advice if you are unsure which legal class your loved one falls under.
How Can an Atlanta Immigration Lawyer Help?
Immigrants who are detained and awaiting final court decisions in one of the Atlanta, GA, Immigration prisons are invited to contact the office of Manji Law for professional assistance.
Studies show that detained and non-detained immigrants with legal representation fared better in court than those without counsel.
Choose an attorney who will work hard to assist you through the stressful process of an immigration matter, detention situation, or while dealing with the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Jameel Manji and his team will take every measure possible and legal argument available to help prevent you or your family and friends from being deported out of the United States:
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Bond hearing to ensure your release from detention
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In court, an Immigration appeal to overturn an unfavorable decision
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A solid removal defense to allow you to remain in the United States
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Voluntary departure to orchestrate a potential re-entry in the upcoming month(s)
As a legal professional who understands the complexity of legal matters surrounding ICE custody, Jameel Manji is also an expert in legal strategies that can save you from deportation, keep you in the country legally, or help you return to the USA after a legal departure.
If you are an immigrant facing legal proceedings concerning your legal status in the United States of America, contact the Manji Law Office today!
Atlanta, Georgia Detention Center Assistance Now
If you’re seeking qualified immigration assistance with the Atlanta, Georgia Detention Center, we’re here to help.
Atlanta Immigration Resources
- Atlanta Deportation Lawyer
- Atlanta Immigration Court
- Complete Guide to I-485
- Folkston ICE Processing Center
- Georgia Immigration
- Guide to I-765
- How Long Does it Take to Bring a Spouse to the USA?
- Immigration Attorney Atlanta
- Irwin County Detention Center
- LaSalle Immigration Court
- Stewart Detention Center
- The Hidden Impact of ICE Deportation