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  2. Wash.
  3. Letter

An Open Letter

To: Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, Sen. Murray, Sen. Cantwell

From: A verified voter in Vancouver, WA

July 16

I am your constituent and I just learned that the Aurora, Colorado ICE processing facility has a disease problem. In the past they have had spreads of scabies, mumps and chicken pox. Now it is tuberculosis. The Guardian news agency reports that at least 12 people are infected and in close quarters and summer heat that number will grow dramatically. Diseases in prisons and detention facilities pose a risk to the general population as staff live in the area. Moreover, the detainees are processed here and sent elsewhere bringing diseases to incubate and spread in other locations around the country. The GEO group manages this facility and claims that there is no tuberculosis. Colorado law demands that public health officials be allowed in to the facility to investigate to protect their citizens. GEO has sued in federal court to block the Colorado law. We are at a standoff and public health is at risk. The courts take a long time and lives are at stake. You hold the power of the purse over GEO and I want you to tighten the strings of that purse and let them know they need to cooperate with loca health officials to protect everyone involved - otherwise you’ll withhold funds or cancel the contract. Stand up and start protecting the health of Americans. Here is a link to the Colorado Sun news story, https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/15/geo-group-immigration-detention-tuberculosis/ and the Guardian’s report, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/14/tuberculosis-outbreak-colorado-ice-jail.

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