Three Democratic lawmakers from Colorado are urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to halt plans for a new immigration detention facility in Hudson, Weld County.
In a letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE director Todd Lyons, U.S. Rep. Brittany Petterson and Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper expressed strong opposition to the expansion of ICE detention beds in Colorado. They raised concerns about ICE’s actions in terrorizing communities, detaining U.S. citizens, and avoiding congressional oversight.
According to documents obtained by the ACLU of Colorado, ICE had identified a defunct private prison in Hudson as the location for a new immigration detention center, named the Big Horn Facility. This facility was expected to increase detention beds from 1,532 to over 2,700 across the state.
The GEO Group was awarded a contract worth $39,042,069 for services at the Big Horn Facility, although details of the contract were heavily redacted. The lawmakers highlighted concerns about decreased oversight, limited legal representation for detainees, and barriers for visitors if the facility were to be expanded.
Protests against the possible ICE expansion in Hudson have been ongoing, with demonstrators gathering outside the former private prison and attending town council meetings to voice their opposition.
The lawmakers emphasized the remote location of the facility as a hindrance to family and legal representatives visiting detained immigrants, which could delay legal proceedings and limit access to counsel.
They called on the Department of Homeland Security to provide clarity on the decision to authorize the facility and ensure equal access to legal representation for detainees. The lawmakers requested responses to several questions by March 13, including details on the expenditure of the $39 million contract with the GEO Group and steps to ensure health and safety standards are met.
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