Folkston ICE Processing Center — Charlton County GA (ICA / D. Ray James Merger)

Overview

The Folkston ICE Processing Center in Charlton County, Georgia is being merged with the adjacent D. Ray James Correctional Facility under a $47 million contract to create a combined 3,000-bed facility — the largest immigration detention center in the United States.

Facility Components

Component	Capacity	Operator
Folkston IPC (main)	1,100 beds	GEO Group
D. Ray James Correctional Facility	1,870 beds	Being merged
Combined	3,000 beds	GEO Group (under IGSA)

Contract Structure

The facility operates under the classic IGSA pass-through model: Charlton County holds the Intergovernmental Service Agreement with ICE and subcontracts operations to GEO Group. The county retains a portion of the per diem revenue. The City of Folkston receives ~$600,000/year in water/sewer revenue. The exact financial split is an investigative target.

GEO Group political contributions: GEO Group contributed $7,500 to Rep. Buddy Carter’s 2024 campaign ($5,000 to his Leadership PAC).

Timeline

Pre-2020: Folkston IPC operational with ~750-800 beds
Folkston Annex: Built to expand capacity to ~1,500 beds
June 5, 2025: Reports that expansion is on hold pending DOGE review (all DHS contracts >$20M require DOGE evaluation)
June 6, 2025: Rep. Buddy Carter announces contract has received green light
June 2025: $47M contract finalized to merge facilities to 3,000 beds

Economic Capture

Charlton County has a population of approximately 12,000-13,000 people. The detention complex is:

The county’s single largest revenue source
One of the county’s largest employers (400 additional jobs from expansion)
Creates structural dependency where local elected officials face overwhelming economic incentives to support expanded detention regardless of conditions

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) brokered the contract and publicly praised the deal. Carter is currently running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Jon Ossoff.

Inspection Record — A Pattern of Violations Without Consequences

DHS OIG Report OIG-22-47 (Unannounced, 2021)

DHS OIG found Folkston did not meet standards in six areas:

Unsanitary conditions: torn mattresses, water leaks, standing water, mold, insect infestations, inoperable toilets
Medical care: no timely access to specialty care, inadequate mental health services, no on-site doctor
Grievance handling: no paper grievance forms or submission boxes as required
Segregation practices, staff communications, detainee property handling

Despite these findings, ICE gave Folkston a “Superior” rating just 3 months after the critical OIG findings.

OIDO Inspection (Dec 2022 - early 2023)

Inoperable bathrooms with clogged toilets, mold, rust, peeling paint
Critical staffing vacancies: All three physician positions vacant, plus PHS Clinical Director and five Registered Nurse positions vacant for 3-5 years
Inappropriate handcuffing, limited recreation access

ICE’s Own Inspectors (2019): 38 Violations

Including poor medical care, food handling violations, and at least one “grave mistake in clinical judgment.”

The Accountability Gap

ICE fined contractors in only 3 of 63 documented detainee deaths (2017-2023). DHS Inspector General (2019): ICE “does not adequately hold detention facility contractors accountable.” Despite all findings, GEO Group received the $96M expansion contract.

Deaths in Custody

Jaspal Singh (died April 15, 2024)

57-year-old Indian national detained 9 months. Complained of chest pain; an on-call doctor dismissed abnormal electrocardiogram results via phone. Singh became unresponsive within an hour. Staff lacked 911 training; when they called, dispatch routed to the wrong county. ICE finding: medical care “deviated beyond safe limits and directly contributed to his death.” ICE did not fine GEO Group.

2018 Retaliation Against Sikh Asylum Seekers

From April-September 2018, hundreds of Sikh asylum seekers faced collective punishment after protesting a court venue change. GEO/ICE retaliated with solitary confinement, forced feeding, suicide watch placement, and transfers. Internal documents referred to Indian nationals as “problem children” and tracked strikes on “the Indian list.”

COVID-19

July 2021: Charlton County had the highest COVID-19 infection rate in the nation — attributed in part to conditions at Folkston contributing to community spread.

Detainee Testimony

Andre Lindsay (detained nearly three years, despite living in the U.S. since age six):

Denied hip replacement surgery despite multiple doctors’ orders after a fall in shackles
Shower floors with standing water contaminated with “feces, pubic hair, and spit”
“All the food is expired…chicken boxes say ‘Not for human consumption’”

D. Ray James History

Opened 1998 as GEO Group private prison for Georgia state inmates
2010: Georgia inmates moved out, replaced with up to 2,507 federal prisoners under BOP contract
August 2016: Obama DOJ announced phase-out of private prisons; D. Ray James was one of 13 facilities affected
Late 2020: Scheduled to close. Charlton County faced massive job and revenue losses.
2025: Reactivated under Trump administration for ICE detention expansion

The closure-to-reactivation cycle illustrates the economic capture dynamic: the county became dependent on detention revenue, suffered when it ended, and eagerly accepted the expansion when offered.

Community Monitoring

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta — “Shut Down Folkston” campaign (launched 2022). Litigation Director: Meredyth Yoon.
Innovation Law Lab — Filed formal complaints and demand letters with DHS CRCL, OIG, and OIDO (July 2022)
Project South — Co-signed complaints
SPLC Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) — Legal services
Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR) — Complaints and advocacy
Migrant Equity Southeast — On-the-ground advocacy (Director: Daniela Rodriguez)

Note: El Refugio is based in Lumpkin, GA near Stewart Detention Center, not Folkston. However, Executive Director Amilcar Valencia has spoken publicly against Folkston expansion.

Investigative Leads

IGSA pass-through finances: FOIA the IGSA and the GEO subcontract to determine the county’s cut
County economic data: Median household income $48,534, poverty rate 25.5%. County receives $600K water/sewer + $260K administrative costs.
GAO May 2025 report on ICE oversight failures — cross-reference with Folkston violations
MuckRock FOIA: ICE response to OIG Folkston report already filed (FOIA #131705)
The DOGE review: What did DOGE actually evaluate? Was the contract modified?

Detention Pipeline