Updated Documents Reveal New Details for ICE Detention Expansion in Colorado

DENVER — Newly updated documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Colorado reveal previously redacted details about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) plans to expand immigration detention capacity in Colorado. The ACLU and ACLU of Colorado first obtained potential ICE expansion plans in July 2025 in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation. The ACLU then pushed ICE to reveal information that was improperly redacted and has now received those less-redacted documents.

The updated documents shed additional insight into the capacity of previously identified detention facilities. Additionally, they provide possible operational timelines for certain facilities, as well as new construction and expansion proposals. Specifically, they show:

• Hudson Correctional Facility, owned by Highlands REIT and in Hudson, has a capacity of 1,256 people. The facility claimed in February that it was "in advanced discussions with well-known potential operators" and could begin operations “within a matter of months.” Additionally, the facility owns 37 adjacent acres of land and claims that it has already received a conditional use permit for a 1,000-bed expansion. Separate reporting, by local and national media outlets, have indicated that ICE plans to use the Hudson facility as its initial Colorado detention expansion. ACLU of Colorado has filed additional FOIA requests with ICE to obtain further details.
• Huerfano County Correctional Facility in Walsenberg, owned by CoreCivic, has a capacity of 752 people and claims that it can begin operations within 120 days of DHS funding approval.
• Cheyenne Mountain Center in Colorado Springs, owned by The GEO Group, has a capacity of 700 people and claims that they can begin operations 30 days after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding approval.
• Apex Site Solutions claims that their proposed soft-sided facility in Walsenberg would have a capacity of 1,000 people.
• J&J Worldwide Services proposed a new facility in Aurora with a capacity of 1,000 people.
• The Baptiste Migrant Detention Facility in La Junta, owned by the Baptiste Group, claims that it has a capacity of 850 to 2,250 people and claims that it can begin operations 90-120 days after DHS funding approval.
• The Colorado Springs Migrant Detention Facility in Colorado Springs, also owned by the Baptiste Group, has a capacity of 850 to 950 people and claims that it can reach “full operational capacity” six to twelve months after DHS approval.

“The expansion of the Trump administration’s cruel and brutal deportation machine should shock our conscience. It is a system greased by cruelty, fueled by private prisons, and pushed by those looking to profit on the backs of our immigrant neighbors,” said Tim Macdonald, ACLU of Colorado Legal Director. “These additional details reveal the disturbing scale of ICE’s hoped-for expansion and the urgency with which we must act to protect our state’s immigrant communities from these for-profit detention camps.”

ACLU and ACLU of Colorado first filed a public records request in March 2025, seeking additional insight into a Request for Information issued by ICE for facilities in Colorado. The organizations went on to file a lawsuit in April 2025, after ICE failed to provide the requested documents, and pushed for further release of redacted information in August 2025.

“For-profit immigration detention facilities are already infamous for their patterns of excessive force, medical neglect, inadequate nutrition, and persistent rights violations,” said Scott Medlock, ACLU of Colorado Staff Attorney. “These cruel conditions effectively coerce people into abandoning their legal cases and accepting deportation while lining the pockets of private prison operators.”

These additional details come after Congress recently passed a reconciliation bill that allocates $45 billion to ICE to expand its immigration detention infrastructure. This amount is larger than the budget for the entire federal prison system and is estimated to allow for the detention of over 100,000 people daily.

View the updated documents here.

Read the July press release here.

Read the original complaint here.