Immigrants held at a massive ICE center in Georgia find relief through Glenmary missionaries. By Omar Cabrera

Father Neil Pezzulo makes a weekly visit to one of the largest immigrant detention centers in the United States: the Stewart Detention Center in Southwest Georgia. His ministry of presence offers comfort to the detainees — most of whom are Hispanic and have no other visitors.

He drives nearly an hour from his home to the outskirts of the small, remote town of Lumpkin — a town with a population less than half the size of the 2,000 immigrants from various countries held at the facility.

“The food is horrible, and there isn’t enough of it,” Father Neil says regarding the center’s harsh conditions. The facility houses more people than it has beds, forcing some to sleep on the floor on plastic cots.

Father Neil, a Glenmary missioner, is the only priest who visits the detainees at Stewart. There, he celebrates Mass, hears confessions, and talks with them. “Often, it is their first confession in many, many years,” he says. “Many are missing their families. The women, especially, tell me they miss their children.”

Immigrants detained in this complex are deprived of things others might take for granted: a comfortable chair to sit in, access to sunlight and fresh air, and a cell phone for communication and entertainment. The detainees, by contrast, “are always indoors. There is no sunlight in the facility. You are allowed out into the yard at some point during the day — usually for 20 to 30 minutes — and I’ve only ever seen the yard from the inside. It doesn’t look particularly large,” Father Neil says. The detention center “is a bleak place.”

For these individuals, talking to someone willing to listen attentively and remind them of God’s love, acts as a balm that soothes their wounds and helps keep hope alive, the Glenmary priest explains. “We try to accompany or walk with these people during this particular chapter of their lives,” says Father Neil.

A Haven for Visitors

Near the detention center, in the small town of Lumpkin, an organization opens its doors every Saturday and Sunday to people visiting detained family members or friends. Located on Main Street, the house known as “El Refugio” features parking, a large dining area, a kitchen, living rooms, and even a handful of bedrooms where visitors can stay overnight for free.

To see a detained immigrant, a family member or friend must arrive in person to the detention center and provide their name, phone number, and other details. When this information is turned in to the guards, visitors are given a time they can return for their visit. The wait between registration and the actual visit can range from 30 minutes to three hours. Since there are no hotels and only one restaurant in Lumpkin, there are few places for visitors to wait. That is why many turn to El Refugio.

El Refugio is an organization independent of Glenmary; it operates the house using volunteers and funds from its own donors. Two Glenmary missionaries join these volunteers: Brother Jude Smith helps once a month, while Sister Imelda Ngwitu helps two weekends a month.

“We help welcome the visitors and families,” says Sister Imelda. “We make sure they have coffee and lunch, we talk with them, and I help them with the paperwork when they arrive at the detention center.”

Restricted Visits

Like other El Refugio volunteers, Brother Jude and Sister Imelda also visit detainees who have requested a visit but have no one coming to see them. El Refugio obtains each immigrant’s name and the number assigned to them by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). All visitors have limited access to the center; they can only see detainees through a glass partition and speak with them via intercoms resembling old landline phones.

Father Neil, by contrast, has access to virtually every area of ​​the detention center, with the caveat that he may only move about inside when accompanied by either the prison chaplain or a guard.

The majority of the inmate population at the Stewart Detention Center is male. Many of them were their family’s breadwinners before being taken into ICE custody. Consequently, it is common to see women arriving at El Refugio to visit detainees — some accompanied by children or teenagers.

Brother Jude made his Perpetual Oath with Glenmary this spring. Within his new budget, he allocates funds to support these families, for instance, by providing fuel cards.

Through their ministry, Father Neil, Brother Jude, and Sister Imelda are bringing to life the passage from Matthew 25:34–36, in which Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes, “the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to see me.’”

Until the Spring of 2026, when this story was reported in Southwest Georgia, Father Neil Pezzulo was assigned to the Glenmary missions in that region. He is currently on a different assignment.

This story first appeared in the Glenmary Challenge.