Podcast Summary: "Why this rural town wants an ICE facility"

The Indicator from Planet Money
Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Waylon Wong
Guest: Sergio Martinez Beltran (NPR immigration reporter)
Featured Voices: Glenn Hall (former Charlton County administrator), Savannah Public (Folkestone resident)

Overview

This episode explores the economic and ethical tensions in rural Folkestone, Georgia, where a large ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention center has become a key economic driver. Amid escalating federal immigration enforcement, the Trump administration is expanding detention capacity, making ICE facilities a rare source of jobs for struggling communities. The episode examines both the perceived economic lifeline such facilities offer and the moral complexities faced by local residents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Expansion of ICE Detention Centers

• Record High Detention Rate: Over 71,000 people are currently in ICE detention—a U.S. record.
  [00:11] Waylon Wong
• Policy Shift: The Trump administration shifted enforcement focus from primarily border removals to targeting undocumented immigrants in U.S. cities. [02:43] Waylon Wong
• Ambitious Goals: Plans aim to increase capacity to detain up to 93,000 immigrants simultaneously.
  • Quote:
    "The goal, Waylon, is to be able to detain about 93,000 immigrants all at the same time."
    —Sergio Martinez Beltran [03:04]
• Funding: Significant federal funding (over $38 billion) is allocated for new or expanded detention facilities, often in economically struggling small towns. [03:16-03:38]

Folkestone, Georgia: A Case Study

• Community Profile:
  • Rural town of ~5,000, mostly Black, with ~33% living below poverty line. [03:41]
• ICE Facility Background:
  • The facility, managed by private prison operator GEO Group, occupies a former state prison site. Expansion is ongoing. [04:20-04:46]
• Economic Impact:
  • Facility grew from 1,100 to 3,000 beds over the past year.
  • Created about 200 jobs (wages: $18–$50/hr, higher for medical roles).
  • County/city receive about $1 million, though GEO Group’s federal contract is $96 million.
  • Quote:
    "Obviously you can see the economic development that it has here, the impact that it has on our community with all those jobs and potentially more."
    —Glenn Hall [05:07]
• Community Viewpoint:
  • Folkestone's lack of alternative industry makes the facility a crucial employer.
  • Quote:
    "When you're in a rural community that relies on those jobs, this is truly our only option as economic development."
    —Glenn Hall [01:07]

Moral Dilemmas and Local Debate

• Personal Conflicts:
  • Residents and leaders are deeply conflicted about the facility—balancing economics with ethics and empathy for detainees.
  • Quote:
    "These are people's lives and families and. But that's the reality of it."
    —Glenn Hall [05:51]
• Detainee Outcries:
  • During a visit, detainees shouted to the reporters for help, alleging mistreatment.
  • Reactions:
    "If I was detained behind barbed wire like that, I would be only help, too, to somebody coming down a dirt road, no doubt."
    —Glenn Hall [06:41]
• Resident Perspective:
  • For many locals, the facility is simply a job prospect—especially in the absence of alternatives.
    • Quote:
      "For several of us, we just see it as just like a place that you could always get a job..."
      —Savannah Public [07:08]
  • Health benefits and decent wages from jobs at the detention center are highly valued in the economically depressed region.
    • Quote:
      "Sometimes benefits are better than making money. Sometimes, you know, knowing that you have insurance and knowing that your kids have insurance at your house."
      —Savannah Public [07:35]

Moral Opposition and Long-term Uncertainty

• Activism from Within:
  • Some, like Savannah Public, oppose the detention center despite its economic benefits, citing moral concerns about the criminalization of immigrants.
    • Quote:
      "Morally, I don't think we should ever be tied to a system that hurts black and brown bodies...These individuals haven't committed a crime."
      —Savannah Public [08:13]
  • She stresses that for the poor, "having the time to think about the morality of it all is a luxury," pressing the point that dire economic need often trumps ethical debates.
    • Quote:
      "We're just thinking about how can I get money in my pocket?...this is just something you don't want to build your future upon, something that changes every four years."
      —Savannah Public [08:42]
• Policy Change Risks:
  • Folkestone's economy is vulnerable to changes in federal immigration policy; even those who support the jobs hope for more stable and less morally fraught economic development.
    • Quote:
      "I'm hopeful that the prison will work itself out of a job..."
      —Glenn Hall [09:18]
    • When asked if that would eliminate jobs for the county:
      "Absolutely would be."
      —Glenn Hall [09:31]

Nationwide Expansion

• Larger Trend:
  • Up to 24 new ICE facilities are being planned across the country, making Folkestone one of many towns balancing economic survival against ethical questions. [09:33]

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• "When you're in a rural community that relies on those jobs, this is truly our only option as economic development."
  —Glenn Hall [01:07]

• "The goal, Waylon, is to be able to detain about 93,000 immigrants all at the same time."
  —Sergio Martinez Beltran [03:04]

• "Obviously you can see the economic development that it has here, the impact that it has on our community with all those jobs and potentially more."
  —Glenn Hall [05:07]

• "Morally, I don't think we should ever be tied to a system that hurts black and brown bodies...These individuals haven't committed a crime."
  —Savannah Public [08:13]

• "We're just thinking about how can I get money in my pocket?...this is just something you don't want to build your future upon, something that changes every four years."
  —Savannah Public [08:42]

• "I'm hopeful that the prison will work itself out of a job if this is, if this is the truth, that we close our borders and deport all the illegal immigrants."
  —Glenn Hall [09:18]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• ICE hiring boom and national context: [00:11–01:07]
• Federal expansion, funding, and Folkestone introduction: [02:43–03:41]
• Facility’s local economic impact: [04:20–05:34]
• Ethical/moral tensions in the community: [06:12–08:42]
• Long-term instability and opposition voices: [08:42–09:31]
• Larger national trend: [09:31–09:46]

Tone

The episode maintains a reflective, empathetic, and matter-of-fact tone, highlighting both the very real economic hardships of rural America and the ethical complexities facing communities that become sites for controversial federal immigration initiatives. Guests express genuine conflict between what is good for their community’s immediate survival and their broader moral values, inviting listeners to consider the true costs of such economic lifelines.