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Resident tells Woodstock council children from Cherokee County are being detained; cites ICE deaths and raises alarm about Social Circle facility
Summary
During public comment, resident Martha Jean Schindler told the Woodstock council that multiple students from Cherokee County are being held at Stewart Detention Center, cited recent deaths in ICE custody and warned about a proposed 1,000,000 sq. ft. facility in Social Circle that she said could hold thousands; the mayor reminded her of the five-minute limit and meeting decorum.
During the public-comment portion of the Woodstock mayor and council meeting on March 9, resident Martha Jean Schindler accused federal immigration enforcement practices of harming local families and said local students had been detained at Stewart Detention Center.
"Are you OK with children from this community disappearing? Are you OK with children from your community disappearing?" Schindler asked the council, urging local leaders to consider the human impact of detention policies. She cited what she described as decades of documented human-rights violations at Stewart and said recent reports showed dozens of deaths in ICE custody, stating "2025 was the deadliest year for ICE detention in over 2 decades. 32 people dead."
Schindler also raised alarms about a proposed 1,000,000-square-foot facility in Social Circle she said could hold up to 10,000 people and questioned whether the site had adequate water and sewer capacity. Her remarks included references to investigations she said documented mistreatment of children in custody and to cases she said had affected local families.
Mayor Michael Caldwell interrupted to warn about chamber rules and the five-minute public-comment limit, telling the speaker: "I have been extremely generous with you for a year allowing you to violate the rules in this chamber" and reminding her that disruptive behavior can be a misdemeanor. Schindler finished her remarks after the time warning.
The council did not take action on the federal immigration matters raised during the public-comment period; those issues were raised as citizen concerns rather than as agenda items.
