Whereas, our faith traditions call us to welcome the stranger, protect human dignity, and stand with the vulnerable, values shared across the diverse religious communities of the Athens area; and

Whereas, mass incarceration based solely on immigration status disrupts the lives of individuals, families, and entire communities; and

Whereas, mass arrest and detention of immigrants undermines our religious activity as faith organizations carrying out the spiritual practice of sanctuary; and

Whereas, immigrant detention practices have been widely documented as inhumane and harmful, often subjecting detainees and their families to trauma and prolonged suffering; and

Whereas, many immigrants are housed in warehouse-like conditions that lack privacy, provide inadequate nutrition, suffer from poor sanitation, and offer limited access to appropriate medical care; and

Whereas, the United States Department of Homeland Security is seeking to establish a large-scale immigrant detention facility within 30 miles of Athens, GA; and

Whereas, the jobs created for guards and others who will work at the proposed facility in Social Circle are damaging to the mental health of these workers, resulting in additional needs for social services and support; and

Whereas, the proposed detention center designed to hold 8,500 or more individuals in Social Circle demonstrates a troubling disregard not only for detained immigrants but also for the residents of Social Circle, whose community identity, public resources, infrastructure, and moral voice would be profoundly affected without meaningful local consent or consideration; and

Whereas, the City of Social Circle has repeatedly and formally objected to this facility, stating that its water and wastewater infrastructure cannot accommodate the demand this facility would generate, and that no proposal presented by DHS has adequately addressed those concerns; and

Whereas, the speed and secrecy with which this facility has been planned and the dismissal of local objections reflects a troubling disregard for both the rights of those who would be detained and the democratic voice of the affected community; and

Whereas, migrants are being detained for profit by private corporations that the taxpayers are responsible for funding, including the more than 100 million dollars in profits paid to the company selling the facility in Social Circle to the Department of Homeland Security; 

Therefore, be it resolved that the undersigned faith organizations and individuals strongly oppose the establishment of a mass immigrant detention facility in Social Circle, Georgia, and call upon the Department of Homeland Security to halt its plans; and

Be it further resolved that we call upon Georgia's congressional delegation, state officials, and local government leaders to use all available means to oppose this facility and protect both the rights of immigrants and the wellbeing of the Social Circle community; and

Be it further resolved that the undersigned affirm our commitment to human dignity, compassion, and justice for all people regardless of immigration status, and pledge to accompany and support immigrant families in our communities who are affected by current federal immigration enforcement policies.