ATLANTA – South Georgia soon will become home to the largest illegal immigrant detention center in the country.

The D. Ray James Correctional Facility in Charlton County will become part of the Folkston Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Centre under a $47 million contract county and federal government officials reached in June.

The nearly 3,000-bed facility – up from its current capacity of almost 1,100 beds – would bring about 400 jobs to the area, Coastal Georgia’s congressman said.

“With this expansion, Georgia will strengthen its status as a national leader in the fight to secure our southern border,” said U.S. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Savannah. “I’m proud to have worked with Charlton County to get the D. Ray James Correctional Facility expansion over the finish line, which will bring jobs and economic growth to our region.”

The city of Folkston will receive $600,000 a year in revenue from water and sewer services provided to the facility.

President Donald Trump’s big budget bill the Republican majorities in Congress passed last week includes $45 billion to build new immigration detention centers, a 265% annual increase. Trump has made immigration enforcement and detention a major priority of his second-term administration.