Boulder County activists push BI to end ICE contracts
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Protesters at BI Incorporated in Gunbarrel on Saturday. Photo: Boulder County Immigrant Partnership Team
Local immigrant advocacy groups continue to urge Boulder County-based BI Incorporated to end its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts and call on local governments, including Boulder County, to cut off ties with the firm.
Why it matters: Advocacy groups argue Boulder County shouldn't do business with a company that profits from federal immigration enforcement — even if its local contract is unrelated to ICE.
Driving the news: A demonstration last Saturday at BI's Gunbarrel headquarters drew about 150 people, according to event organizers, including Immigrant Partnership Teams, Southeast Boulder County Indivisible, American Friends Service Committee and Boulder Democratic Socialists of America.
- "The goal is to make sure people in Boulder County understand what is happening in their own community," said Gina McAfee of the Immigrant Partnership Teams.
The protests stem from BI's contracts with ICE to provide electronic monitoring and skip tracing services.
- BI is owned by Geo Group, a private prison and detention company.
What they're saying: "I am appalled that a company which profits from the inhumane treatment of immigrants is in our backyard," said Kristen Aldretti, co-lead of the Boulder County Immigrant Partnership Team.
- "The expansion of immigrant surveillance represents a troubling trend. The fact that a company making billions through its ICE contracts is based in Boulder County contradicts the very values I believe our community upholds."
- BI officials did not return requests for comment.
Zoom in: Protesters urged Boulder County to sever its contract with BI, arguing that the company's ICE work makes it incompatible with local values.
- "Public institutions should not be connected to programs that rely on surveillance rather than support," McAfee said in a statement.
The other side: County officials say the local contract is separate from immigration enforcement.
- Gloria Handyside, a Boulder County spokesperson, told Axios Boulder that electronic monitoring is "an essential part of the county's commitment to alternatives to incarceration."
- She added that the county determined during a 2025 bid process that BI offered the most competitive pricing and the most accurate data.
- "These services are managed entirely by county staff and are not connected to immigration enforcement or federal programs," Handyside said.
Zoom out: The protest reflects a broader pattern of local backlash against companies tied to immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
- The University of Colorado Boulder has faced backlash over its ties with Key Lime Air, which has transported immigrant detainees.
- The city of Denver cut its own ties with Key Lime, while Palantir faced protests for its ICE ties before the tech giant moved to Florida.