DENVER (KDVR) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a new lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to learn more about the federal agency’s plans to expand immigration detention across Colorado and Wyoming.
The ACLU of Colorado said the lawsuit comes after ICE allegedly did not comply with a Freedom of Information Act request that sought details of the agency’s plans to grow detention facilities in Colorado.
FOX31 asked ICE for comment on the lawsuit and was told the agency will not provide any comment on ongoing or pending litigation.
In April, the nonprofit filed a lawsuit against ICE to obtain publicly requestable documents about plans to expand detention space across Colorado and Wyoming. In July, the ACLU of Colorado shared documents from ICE showing six potential locations for ICE detention facilities in Colorado, as well as information relevant to each site.
In late August, the nonprofit shared newly updated documents from ICE showing plans to expand how many immigration detention beds are available in Colorado. The ACLU of Colorado said that documents initially received were improperly redacted, and that less-redacted versions were received in August.
“Already, our previous requests and subsequent lawsuit have revealed how ICE may spend some of its record $45 billion budget intended for immigration detention,” said Tim Macdonald, ACLU of Colorado legal director. “We will continue to press ICE for more transparency and accountability as it rushes to reopen abandoned facilities to separate more families, lock up more workers, and intimidate more people with actions that strain due process and human decency.”
One location that has garnered attention is the Hudson Correctional Facility, which FOX31 reported in August is expected to be opened by ICE by the end of 2025. According to the documents from ICE, the facility can hold 1,256 people with day rooms that purport to offer additional bunk space. The documents also show that the facility has 37 acres adjacent to its current location and has already received a conditional use permit for a 1,000-bed expansion.
Documents shared by the ACLU of Colorado show that the facility was in “advanced talks with operators” in February 2025. The facility is owned by Highlands REIT and leased by The Geo Group through 2020. The Geo Group is also contracted by ICE to run its Aurora detention facility.
The ACLU of Colorado said it is seeking to raise awareness of ICE’s expansion plans and “the agency’s long history of detaining people in brutal and substandard conditions.” The nonprofit said it is calling on leaders to join it in “denouncing this insidious expansion.”
FOX31 obtained a letter from a teenager detained at the ICE facility in Aurora, operated by The Geo Group. The teen called the conditions a “nightmare” and described how she was given “soggy, wet food,” and that the guards’ attitude toward her changed when they learned she spoke English.
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