ICE signs contract to open new immigration detention center northeast of Denver

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signed a contract to open a new immigration detention center located northeast of Denver in Hudson, Colorado. According to reports from The Denver Post and KDVR, this new processing center will be situated in a defunct correctional facility. The GEO Group, which announced the move via its investor relations portal, will operate the site known as the Big Horn Facility. This specific facility is described as a company-leased center with a total capacity of 1,188 beds. The agreement establishes a significant new presence for federal immigration detention in the region, utilizing existing infrastructure that had previously served as a correctional facility. Coverage of the deal is widespread across regional and national outlets, with 9News and the Colorado Times Recorder highlighting the financial scale of the agreement.

The Colorado Times Recorder reports that ICE awarded a contract valued at $529 million to open the center, while 9News specifies the agreement is under $530 million. Additionally, Colorado Public Radio and Denver7 have focused on the role of the GEO Group in confirming these expansion plans. These outlets emphasize that the project transforms a defunct site into an active federal facility, marking the arrival of a second ICE detention facility in the town of Hudson, as noted specifically by 9News. Context provided by the reports indicates that the GEO Group is the primary contractor responsible for the lease and management of the Big Horn Facility. The scale of the operation, involving 1,188 beds, suggests a substantial increase in the capacity for ICE to process and detain individuals in the Colorado area. The use of a defunct correctional facility allows for the rapid deployment of a processing center without the need for entirely new construction.

This move reflects a broader strategic expansion of ICE's detention footprint in the northeast corridor of Denver, leveraging the existing capacity of the Hudson site to meet federal requirements. Looking forward, observers will likely monitor the operational timeline for the Big Horn Facility as it transitions from a defunct site to a functional ICE processing center. Based on the factual reports from the GEO Group and local news agencies, the focus remains on the implementation of the $529 million contract and the integration of the 1,188-bed facility into the national detention network. While the contract has been signed and the site in Hudson has been identified, the specific date for the center to begin accepting detainees has not been detailed in the current coverage provided by the seven reporting sources.