How the Aurora ICE facility compares to the U.S.
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Colorado's sole contracted immigrant detention facility holds among the highest average number of people in the U.S., according to newly released federal data.
The big picture: The Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora averages 1,142 detainees a day for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- It has a capacity of 1,532 beds, ICE's Denver field office spokesperson Steve Kotecki told us.
- The average gives Aurora among the 10 biggest populations of detainees in the country, per data collected by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) reviewed by Axios.
Yes, but: The center's average population is not above the norm.
- Data compiled by U.S. Rep. Jason Crow's office shows the detention center averaged about 1,163 detainees at the start of every month since October.
Why it matters: The data sheds light on the housing arrangements federal officials have made for detainees at a time when the U.S. government's immigration centers are nearing capacity.
- Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pushing for dramatically more arrests.
The latest: Nationwide, the number of immigrants held in detention under ICE has hit the highest level in more than five years, new data show.
State of play: The detention figure for Aurora is current as of Feb. 8 — days after the first mass-scale ICE raids unfolded in Denver.
- It's unclear how many people taken into custody during those raids remain detained in Aurora, Kotecki told us last week, adding the agency does not release those details.
Context: Private prison company GEO Group, which has operated the Aurora facility since 1986, announced in December it would invest $70 million to help expand its detention capacity, transport and electronic monitoring.
- Multiple lawsuits, including some alleging inmate mistreatment and wrongful death at the facility, have been filed against GEO Group over the past 11 years, Westword reports.
Between the lines: Crow last month said Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora would not be used as a detention center, though it is functioning as a coordination center for federal law enforcement operations.
Zoom out: Immigrants can end up in ICE detention after being arrested by ICE or the U.S. Border Patrol.
- Overall, ICE was holding 41,169 in detention at more than 100 locations nationwide. Nearly 55% have no criminal record, and many more have committed only minor offenses such as traffic violations, TRAC found.
What we're watching: ICE continues to work locally with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration personnel — as well as some local sheriffs' agencies — to arrest people living in the country unlawfully, per social media posts.
Go deeper: Immigrants, federal workers get crash courses on rights