---
title: SB 517. Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; use of immigration detention centers in this state for two years; prohibit
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb517
cite_as: SB 517, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb517
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb517.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb517/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73266
date: 2026-02-18
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb517.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 517
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-17
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Jaha Howard
- Harold Jones
- Nikki Merritt
- Nan Orrock
- RaShaun Kemp
- Tonya Anderson
- Kenya Wicks
- Nabilah Islam Parkes
- Sheikh Rahman
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB517/2025
upstream_id: 2118596
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- immigration detention
- immigration policy
- law enforcement
- civil rights
---
# SB 517. Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies; use of immigration detention centers in this state for two years; prohibit
## Text
Senate Bill 517
By: Senators Howard of the 35th, Jones II of the 22nd, Merritt of the 9th, Orrock of the 36th,
Kemp of the 38th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions regarding law enforcement officers and agencies, so as to prohibit the use
of immigration detention centers in this state for two years; to provide for definitions; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 1 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general
provisions regarding law enforcement officers and agencies, is amended by adding a new
Code section to read as follows:
"35-1-17.1.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Detainee' means a noncitizen who is held in an immigration detention center pending
immigration proceedings or removal from the United States under the authority of the
United States Department of Homeland Security or United States Immigration and
Customs Enforcement.
(2) '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.
(b) In order to allow the state time to develop a comprehensive, long-term plan that
promotes dignity and justice in the operation of immigration detention centers, no such
centers shall be operated or otherwise used between July 1, 2026, and July 1, 2028."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
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.
### Plain-language summary
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 it does
- Adds a new Georgia law (O.C.G.A. ยง 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.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-17)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-18)
- Sponsors: Jaha Howard, Harold Jones, Nikki Merritt, Nan Orrock, RaShaun Kemp, Tonya Anderson, Kenya Wicks, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Sheikh Rahman
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73266
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb517.md?full=1