Georgia CommonsSB 517: Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; use of immigration detention centers in this state for two years; prohibit
Last action February 18, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred
A Georgia Senate bill would ban the operation or use of immigration detention centers in the state for a two-year period, from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2028.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Immigration detention centers in Georgia currently hold people, called detainees, who are awaiting immigration court proceedings or removal from the country under federal authority (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement). This bill would add a new section to Georgia law temporarily stopping the operation or use of any such facility in the state, including privately run facilities under federal contract. The ban would run from July 1, 2026 through July 1, 2028. The bill states the purpose is to give the state time to develop a longer-term plan for how these centers should operate. It defines both 'detainee' and 'immigration detention center' and repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.
What the bill does
- Adds a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 35-1-17.1) banning the operation or use of immigration detention centers located in the state.
- Sets the ban to run for a two-year window, from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2028.
- Defines 'detainee' as a noncitizen held pending immigration proceedings or removal under federal Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement authority.
- Defines 'immigration detention center' broadly to include private facilities under federal contract, not just government-run sites.
- States the purpose is to give the state time to develop a long-term plan for how such centers should be run.
- Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new provision.
Who it affects
Private companies and any government entities that operate immigration detention facilities in Georgia, federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement that rely on those facilities, and detainees held in them pending immigration proceedings or removal.
Why it matters
If enacted, immigration detention facilities in Georgia would have to stop operating for two years, which could affect where people facing immigration removal proceedings are held and could disrupt federal contracts with private detention operators in the state.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 35-1-17.1 to Chapter 1 of Title 35, covering general law enforcement provisions.
- Subsection (a) defines 'detainee' and 'immigration detention center,' with the latter covering both public and privately contracted facilities in Georgia.
- Subsection (b) prohibits operating or using such centers between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028, citing the need to develop a long-term plan.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.
From the bill
“no such centers shall be operated or otherwise used between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028.”
“'Immigration detention center' means any facility located in this state that holds detainees, including private facilities contracted by the federal government to hold such detainees.”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- Senate Hopper (Senate)
Sponsors
- Jaha Howard (D, SD-035)
- Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
- Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
- Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
- RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
- Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
- Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
- Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
- Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-005)
Topics
- immigration detention
- immigration policy
- law enforcement
- civil rights