Overview

• Colorado’s four Democratic U.S. House members conducted the first inspection of the Aurora ICE detention center under the new seven-day notice rule and said they left with more questions than answers.
• Lawmakers reported that staff locked down all detainee housing, declined to provide population counts or criminal history and did not make senior ICE officials available.
• Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Joe Neguse and 10 other members have sued the federal government, arguing the notice requirement violates oversight rights and seeking an injunction to allow unannounced visits.
• A federal judge in Denver recently described conditions at the privately run GEO Group facility as “abhorrent,” citing testimony about overcrowded cells, limited medical care and frequent air-conditioning failures.
• ICE and DHS defend the notice policy as necessary for detainee and staff safety and maintain parallel enforcement changes such as reduced bond hearings and expanded detention capacity.