U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is moving forward with plans to open six new immigrant detention centers in Colorado, according to newly released documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The proposed facilities would be located in Hudson and La Junta, while Colorado Springs and Walsenburg are each set to receive two centers. All six would be operated by private companies.
Tim Macdonald, legal director of the ACLU of Colorado, criticized the expansion, especially ICE’s continued reliance on for-profit operators like GEO Group—the company behind the Aurora detention facility, which has faced repeated allegations of civil rights violations and inadequate medical care.
“That’s a terrible model,” Macdonald said. “We should not put profits on the backs of immigrants. It creates an incentive to detain more innocent men, women, and children.”
Concerns over GEO’s practices intensified after a 2019 report highlighted abuse, neglect, and deaths at its Aurora facility. In 2024, the family of Melvin Mendoza filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging the facility failed to diagnose and treat a fatal blood clot. GEO declined to comment on the lawsuit but maintained it complies with ICE standards and takes pride in its 40-year partnership with the agency.
Despite former President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to target violent criminals for deportation, recent data tells a different story. A Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) analysis of ICE figures shows over 56,000 individuals are currently detained, with more than 70% having no criminal record.
“We know that’s not happening,” Macdonald said. “They are detaining and removing grandmothers, pregnant women. The evidence shows most detainees have no criminal record whatsoever.”
The latest GOP-backed tax and spending bill includes $170 billion for immigration enforcement. Of that, $45 billion—surpassing the entire federal prison budget—is earmarked to expand ICE detention capacity to more than 100,000 people per day.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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