Dilley, Texas -- The more than 1,800 women and children who are being detained in this isolated part of South Texas are called "residents." Their bunk bed-filled barracks are called "suites." And their living quarters are situated in "neighborhoods" named after a cuddly brown bear, a pretty blue butterfly and a bright red bird.

Yet, there is no mistaking what this place is — a tightly secured immigration detention center complete with roaming guards, metal detectors and high fences.

The South Texas Family Residential Center — the largest of its kind in the U.S. with capacity to hold 2,400 people — is now ground zero in the contentious national debate over illegal immigration. And there is a lot at stake in that debate for Georgia, a state that has fought for years to drive out immigrants living illegally within its borders.

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Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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