Brian Unger is a multi-skilled journalist at CBS News Atlanta, where he reports on a broad range of news, people and events across the Atlanta Metro.
The city manager of Oakwood, Georgia, says he was given just days' notice that a massive federal immigration detention facility is set to open inside the small North Georgia community.
The facility, comprised of a pair of warehouses totaling more than 600,000 square feet, is expected to hold about 1,500 detainees.
But for city officials, the most alarming number is three.
"That's how many days ago we heard this facility would be opening," City Manager B.R. White told CBS News Atlanta while standing at the proposed ICE detention center, just about a mile from Oakwood City Hall.
White says the city of roughly 7,000 residents was never formally notified by federal officials that the site would operate as an immigration detention center.
"We haven't received anything official from any agency or department with the federal government," White said.
The first notice, according to White, came from the Gainesville Field Office of U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican congressman representing Oakwood in the 9th District.
"It feels like we were blindsided and that we've been steamrolled over," White added.
Now, city leaders say they are preparing for what could come with the opening of a large detention facility, such as increased traffic, public safety concerns, and the possibility of protests.
White said city officials are hearing little support for the project from residents. Still, opinions among people in town appear divided.
At a nearby shopping center, one resident told CBS News Atlanta she already knew about the detention center and supports it.
"I am perfectly fine with it. Why would I not? I'm not a liberal," she said.
Another person said she fully backs both the agency and the facility.
"I 100% support ICE," she said. "I support this facility."
In a statement to CBS News Atlanta, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded to questions about the project with a pointed remark: "Is it really news that when a federal agency hires more personnel that they need more space?"
Beyond community reaction, Oakwood officials say there is a more immediate and practical concern: infrastructure.
City leaders estimate that once fully occupied, the detention center could generate between 50,000 and 60,000 gallons of sewage each day. For Oakwood, which does not have its own sewage treatment plant, that creates a significant challenge.