The North Georgia Detention Center (NGDC) in Hall County has become one of the most controversial immigration detention facilities in the state of Georgia. As one of the largest centers run by private prison operator CoreCivic, NGDC holds over 500 detainees in custody for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since opening in October 1, 2009, the facility has faced allegations of inhumane conditions, civil rights violations, and a lack of transparency.
Background and Operations
NGDC is owned by Hall County but operated by CoreCivic, one of the biggest private corrections companies in the United States. The facility opened in October 1, 2009 and houses detainees exclusively for ICE under an Intergovernmental Service Agreement. Detainees are held for over 72 hours, with an average length of stay around 16 days.
The facility has a maximum capacity of 502 detainees. As of May 2022, NGDC housed an average of 378 detainees per day. The detainee population includes both men and women classified at security threat levels II and III (on a scale of I to III).
NGDC facilities include dormitory-style housing units, televisions, and phones for detainees. The center divides detainees based on criteria like gender, security level, and criminal history. Higher-risk detainees wear red uniforms, medium-risk orange, and lower-risk blue.
The warden oversees daily operations with a staff of over 130 employees and a payroll over $7 million. CoreCivic provides medical care while Trinity Correctional Services handles food service. NGDC holds accreditation from the American Corrections Association.
Accounts of Inhumane Living Conditions
One of the biggest issues raised about NGDC has been complaints about unsafe, unsanitary housing conditions from both detainees and immigrant rights advocates.
In 2018, a lawsuit alleged detainees faced moldy bathrooms, clogged toilets, insect infestations, and contaminated drinking water. Detainees also claimed they were forced to work cleaning the facility for only $1 per day.
Another lawsuit from 2020 described detainees being pepper sprayed while handcuffed as well as regular racial discrimination from guards. The complaint argued the poor conditions and treatment created an inhumane environment violating basic civil rights.
Advocacy groups have staged protests calling for NGDC's closure based on the alleged human rights abuses occurring inside. They argue privatized facilities like NGDC lack accountability and incentives to provide adequate care to detainees.
Concerns Over Health, Medical Care, and COVID-19
In addition to the living conditions, NGDC has faced criticism over inadequate access to medical and mental health services for immigration detainees.
The tight quarters have also raised alarms about the potential for COVID-19 outbreaks within the facility. In 2020, at least 9 detainees tested positive for COVID-19. However, limited testing indicates the actual number was likely higher.
Detainees protested the lack of protective equipment and testing access during the pandemic. The close living spaces made recommended social distancing measures impossible. Advocates argued NGDC's COVID-19 response disregarded the health and safety of detainees.
Excessive Use of Solitary Confinement
NGDC has also come under fire for its frequent use of solitary confinement as punishment. Reports indicate detainees are placed in isolated solitary for months at a time for minor behavioral infractions.
Solitary confinement involves restricting human contact to a bare minimum with only one hour of recreation per day. Mental health experts caution the practice risks severe psychological damage. Prolonged solitary punishment may violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.
Immigrant rights groups contend NGDC's extensive reliance on isolation amounts to inhumane treatment, especially for detainees with existing mental illnesses. However, oversight of the use of solitary confinement in private facilities like NGDC remains limited.
Lack of Transparency and Oversight
As a privately operated detention center, NGDC faces less public scrutiny and government oversight than ICE facilities run directly by the government.
The company provides little visibility into day-to-day operations and conditions. This lack of transparency makes it extremely difficult for advocacy groups, the media, and lawyers to obtain information regarding potential abuses.
Critics argue privatized facilities have an incentive to cover up substandard conditions to protect their bottom line. The opaque operations allow potential civil rights and health violations to remain hidden from the public eye.
Impacts on Immigrant Detention Reform
NGDC reflects many of the systemic problems advocates have identified within the growing immigration detention complex. Over 200 immigrant detention centers operate in the U.S., most run by private companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group.
Activists argue the alleged abuses at NGDC and other facilities illustrate the human rights risks of immigration policies favoring detention over proven alternatives. Peak detention rates have coincided with increased reliance on privatized centers focused on profit maximization over care.
Reforming facilities like NGDC requires increasing oversight, establishing binding standards for conditions in privately run centers, and reconsidering mandatory detention policies that funnel immigrants into abusive conditions. Advocates continue pressuring government officials to address the alleged violations of basic rights occurring daily inside detention centers like NGDC nationwide.
Calls for Greater Accountability and Changes
In light of the chronic problems reported at the North Georgia Detention Center, immigrant rights groups have organized petitions and protests demanding its closure. They argue the consistent violations clearly demonstrate the facility's inability to responsibly and humanely administer immigration detention.
Legal advocacy organizations have also filed lawsuits seeking improved conditions and accountability for alleged constitutional and civil rights abuses. The cases aim to force higher standards through the court system given the lack of binding regulations or adequate government oversight.
However, permanently improving conditions for immigrants held in detention will require wider reforms. Advocates are pressuring policymakers to impose stricter regulations and routine auditing for private detention facilities. They also argue closing problematic centers like NGDC should coincide with reducing unnecessary immigrant detention overall.
Final Thoughts
The controversies surrounding the North Georgia Detention Center spotlight broader issues in the immigrant detention system regarding private operators' accountability as well as centers' treatment of detainees. The alleged violations at NGDC and other facilities raise important human rights concerns over the standards and conditions in detention centers holding immigrants often fleeing violence and persecution. Addressing these systemic issues remains at the center of advocacy efforts for immigration detention reform. Achieving facility closures, improved oversight, and reduced detention will require continued political pressure and policy changes emphasizing the human dignity of all immigrants.
Frequently Asked Questions
### What are the main controversies surrounding NGDC?
The primary issues include poor living conditions, lack of adequate healthcare, excessive use of solitary confinement as punishment, COVID-19 safety concerns, and an overall lack of transparency and accountability as a privately-run facility.
### Who operates the North Georgia Detention Center?
NGDC is owned by Hall County, Georgia but operated by private prison company CoreCivic under a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
### How many detainees are held at NGDC?
The facility has a maximum capacity of 502 detainees. As of 2022, it held an average daily population of 378 immigrants in ICE custody.
### What changes are advocates demanding for the facility?
Immigrant rights groups have called for NGDC's closure due to chronic problems. They also push for improved oversight, accountability for alleged abuses, and reduced use of detention overall.
### How do I send money to a detainee in North Georgia Detention Center?
Money can be deposited into a detainee's commissary account via money order, check, or cash sent to: Detainee Name and ID, 622 Main Street SW, Gainesville, GA 30501. Prior approval is required for sending packages.
### What are the visitation rules for NGDC?
Visitors must be on the approved visitor list, undergo a background check, and provide valid ID. Minors under 16 must be accompanied by a legal guardian. Visitation occurs daily from 7AM-7:30PM, with call length reduced to 10 minutes during peak hours.
Phone: 770-531-6904
Physical Address:
North Georgia Detention Center
622 Main Street
SW Gainesville, GA 30501
Mailing Address (personal mail):
Inmate's Full Name & A-Number
North Georgia Detention Center
622 Main Street
SW Gainesville, GA 30501
Other Jails and Prisons
When someone that is not a US Citizen gets arrested in the United States, and they are here illegally, depending on what state or city they are arrested in, the person may be turned over to ICE.
Many states such as New York and California, as well as hundreds of US cities, have declared themselves 'sanctuary cities' and do not turn over foreigners here illegally, even if they are committing crimes in their jurisdiction.
However, when an alien here illegally is turned over to ICE, and sent to one of the over 100 Immigration Detention Centers in the United States, the only way to try and locate where they are being detained is using the Online Detainee Locator System.
You can look them up using their assigned A-Number.
You can also try and look them up by using their name.
What is an ICE Detention Center?
Men, women, and children that are in the United States illegally and are apprehended by the US Border Patrol or ICE will most likely be placed in removal proceedings and may be detained in one of the more than 200 jails and detention centers that make up ICE’s detention system.
Many of the illegal immigrants that are detained are held in county and local jails that contract with ICE to detain immigrants. The rest are held in dedicated immigration detention facilities run by ICE or contracted to private prison corporations, including family detention centers that hold mothers and children.
What Determines if an Illegal Immigrant gets Detained?
ICE will typically detain an immigrant because DHS (Homeland Security) believes that an illegal immigrant is either a “flight risk” and may move to another location within the U.S. or that they pose a public safety threat. Detaining the person allows the government to guarantee that the person will show up for their hearing before an Immigration Court.
Some of the reasons that causes an illegal immigrant to get arrested and held in detention prior to their day in court is as follows:
The illegal immigrant has:
How do you find someone that is in an ICE Detention Center?
The first step to finding out if an illegal immigrant is in ICE or DHS custody is by using the ICE Detainee Locator.
It’s easier to find the person if you have an Alien Number (A#), if one exists. A green card or work permit will show this number. If you don’t have an A# the person is much more difficult to locate.
The information you will need is as follows:
If you are having difficulty, try different spellings and the order of how the name is listed.
If the illegal immigrant was only recently detained, the ICE Detainee Locator may not be updated with the latest information. Keep in mind that ICE does not give information (online or over the phone) for people under 18 years of age. In such cases, you can only get information on them from the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office nearest you.
If the person you are looking for is not in an ICE Detention Center, they may have been taken to a local jail that contracts with ICE, so contact their local City and County Jail, all which can be found here.
Another option, short of the expense of hiring an Immigration Lawyer, is to go to this website and use their online form to get their help.
Once an illegal immigrant is located and you find out the facility where they are being held you need to find out the Deportation Officer that has been assigned to their case. The Officer can tell you how to call or visit the detainee, or pay for the detainee to be able to call you, or how you can send any needed items such as clothing, prescriptions, etc.
The last option, and the most expensive, is to hire an experienced immigration attorney to assist you in tracking down the Deportation Officer. If the person being detained requires specific medical care, an attorney can ensure that they receive that care.
If the detained illegal immigrant has been deported from America previously or has an outstanding removal order - in which case they have no right to see an immigration judge - they can be removed within a few days, or even hours, of the initial arrest.
Even if the government does not immediately remove the person, it is possible that they can be moved around to different Detention Centers. There is never a warning that a person is being moved around and during the transfer there is a complete blackout of any information.
How long are people held in ICE Immigration Detention Centers?
The time that an illegal immigrant is held in an ICE Detention Center can vary. It all depends on several factors such as the individual’s personal situation, criminal record, the severity of the crime they are being charged with, previous deportations and the current caseload that the Detention Center is dealing with.
This image portrays the most recent data available on the time a detained illegal immigrant remains in custody before their release and/or deportation.
Can you visit someone in ICE Detention Centers?
The short answer is yes. The person visiting an illegal immigrant in an ICE Detention Center must be lawfully present in the United States. In other words the visitor must have some form of currently valid immigration status at the time of the visit. A detention center or jail will not allow the visit unless visitor can show valid I.D. and offer proof that they are lawfully in the United States.
If you want to become a volunteer that visits illegal immigrants in order to offer emotional support, it may be possible. You can join one of these visitation networks by going here and contacting the network in your area.
What crimes can cause an illegal immigrant to be deported?
(The following information comes from Nolo.com, a trusted legal resource)
These are the straightforward crimes that are mentioned in the immigration law. The statute also lists a number of security violations, such as involvement in espionage, sabotage, terrorism, Nazi persecution, totalitarian parties, and so forth.
Once an illegal immigrant is deported, how long before they can come back to the United States?
If an illegal immigrant has a deportation or removal order in their immigration file, it's possible that they won’t be allowed to enter the U.S. for five, ten, or even 20 years.
The applicable law comes from Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.).
Five-Year Ban: If they were summarily removed or deported upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry because they were found inadmissible, or if they came to the U.S. but were immediately put into removal proceedings and then removed or deported, they may be ineligible to return to the U.S. for five years. The five-year ban also applies if they failed to show up for their removal hearing in the United States.
Ten-Year Ban: If a ‘removal order’ was issued at the conclusion of their removal hearing in Immigration Court, they may not be able to return for ten years after their removal or departure.
Twenty-Year Ban: If they were convicted of an aggravated felony or have received more than one order of removal, they are barred from returning to the U.S. for 20 years. And if they entered without permission after having been removed, or illegally reentered the U.S. after having previously been in the U.S. unlawfully for more than one year, they may be barred from entering the United States for 20 years or permanently.
This facility, known as "North Georgia Detention Center" is also known as ICE Detention Facility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
