U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to significantly increase its detention capacity in Colorado, with plans to open as many as three new facilities across the state in the coming months. This expansion aims to more than triple the current capacity, responding to the federal government’s ongoing push for mass deportations.
According to planning documents obtained by the Washington Post, ICE is moving forward with the reopening of a closed correctional facility in Hudson, located northeast of Denver. Reports also indicate the agency is targeting the revival of a private prison in Walsenburg, situated in southern Colorado, as well as increasing the number of beds at the Southern Ute Detention Center in Ignacio, located on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation southeast of Durango.
The documents suggest that ICE intends to expand its existing facility in Aurora from its contracted cap of 1,360 beds to a maximum capacity of 1,530. All expansions and new openings are expected to occur before the end of the year. This increase in capacity underscores ICE’s broader strategy, which anticipates a nationwide total of 107,000 detention beds by January 2024, a number that more than doubles the nearly 50,000 capacity at the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term.
If all three facilities in Hudson, Ignacio, and Walsenburg open as planned, Colorado would rank sixth in the nation for ICE detention beds. The expansion aligns with a recent $45 billion allocation for ICE detention facilities as part of a sweeping tax-and-spend bill passed by Congress.
While ICE officials confirmed the legitimacy of the planning documents, a spokesman from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security indicated that the information may be outdated and that current contracts were not reflected accurately. The last update to the list occurred on July 30, 2023.
The agency’s expansion comes in response to a request for potential detention sites made earlier this year, during which it expressed interest in adding up to 850 to 950 new beds in Colorado. The proposed facilities in Hudson and Walsenburg were among those submitted in response to this request. If realized, the new plans would increase the state’s total capacity from the current limit of 1,360 beds to over 4,000.
CoreCivic, the private prison company that owns the Walsenburg facility, did not respond to requests for comment. Additionally, a spokeswoman for the Southern Ute Tribe was unable to provide immediate information regarding the situation.
The urgency of this expansion is evident as ICE seeks to enhance its operational footprint. During a recent earnings call, Damon Hininger, CEO of CoreCivic, noted that ICE had toured its facilities in Colorado and indicated interest in both the Walsenburg prison and a closed prison in Burlington. Although job postings for detention officer positions at the Walsenburg prison were available, they were later removed, though maintenance positions remain listed for both facilities.
The potential for further expansion of ICE facilities is also on the horizon. During an earnings call last week, Pablo Paez, the executive vice president for corporate relations at the GEO Group, mentioned ongoing discussions with ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service regarding the activation of additional sites, including the Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center in Colorado Springs.
As ICE moves forward with these ambitious plans, the implications for local communities and the broader immigration landscape remain to be seen.
