1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I’m writing to strongly oppose any efforts to reopen or build ICE detention facilities in Colorado. According to recent reports, ICE is considering up to six sites across our state—including closed private prisons in Walsenburg, La Junta, Hudson, and Colorado Springs—as part of a national plan to expand detention capacity. These facilities are often run by private prison companies with long histories of abuse and neglect. They profit by keeping people in detention, not by ensuring safety or justice. In Colorado and beyond, detainees have reported inhumane treatment, medical neglect, and unsanitary conditions. Earlier this year, the detention of longtime Denver resident Jeanette Vizguerra at the GEO-run Aurora facility showed just how broken this system is. Her case drew widespread outrage from Coloradans and elected leaders alike. I’m also deeply troubled that many local governments were not even notified about these proposals. Communities deserve transparency and a say in decisions that affect them. I urge you to: • Ban the use of private facilities for immigrant detention in Colorado, • Close the loophole that allows ICE to partner with private prisons, • Demand full transparency and community input. Colorado should not be complicit in the mass incarceration of immigrants. We must reject any expansion of these harmful and unjust detention centers.