Colorado may soon be home to six new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, including two in Colorado Springs, according to federal documents recently obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union. 

The ACLU made the announcement late Wednesday after the organization filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in April requesting ICE to identify facilities for potential detention sites in the Denver area.

The news of additional detention facilities in Colorado comes shortly after President Trump signed the “Big Beautiful Bill” which, among other things, earmarks $45 billion to ICE for detention infrastructure across the country. 

According to the 115 pages of documents obtained by the ACLU, the former Parkmoor Village Healthcare Center and Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center in Colorado Springs are two of the proposed Colorado detention facility locations. 

Parkmoor is located off North Academy Boulevard near Palmer Park on Colorado Springs’ east side.

According to previous Gazette reporting, the Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center, located on East Las Vegas Street between Interstate 25 and Hancock Expressway, was formerly a private prison owned by GEO Group, but it was closed in March 2020 after operating since 2017. The closure came about from Gov. Jared Polis’ efforts to make evolutionary changes in the Colorado criminal justice system.

GEO Group is one of the nation’s two largest incarceration-for-profit corporations, operating prisons in multiple states as well as monitoring units for ICE. The organization runs the ICE detention facility in Aurora, which holds up to 1,360 beds. The proposed location in Colorado Springs would hold up to 700 inmates, according to GEO Group’s submission to ICE.

In the late-night news release from ACLU, Legal Director Tim Macdonald criticized GEO Group, saying its detention facilities are “already notorious for their inhumane conditions.”

The Parkmoor Village Healthcare Center shut down in 2022 amid challenges caused by the pandemic. The former long-term-care facility is now the Colorado Springs Migrant Detention Facility, owned by the Baptiste Group.

“This facility is immediately available for ICE use and can be fully dedicated to detention operations,” a proposal message from the organization to ICE stated.

“The site is designed for operational efficiency, ensuring safe, secure, and humane conditions while providing cost-effective solutions aligned with ICE’s detention standards,” according to the proposal.

The filings state 100% of the facility will be used for ICE purposes, but no numbers were provided regarding its capacity.

The Baptiste Group is a Georgia-based company that provides disaster remediation, shelter, social services and other emergency relief services.

Officials respond

In response to the proposed detention facilities, U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank, R-Colorado Springs, said “I trust President Trump and his Administration to make the right decisions regarding locations for ICE detention facilities.

“Unfortunately, under Governor Jared Polis’ and the State Legislature’s leadership, Colorado has become a sanctuary for illegal aliens. The Administration is cleaning up their mess,” Crank said.

Colorado Springs City Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson affirmed council support for local and federal law enforcement agencies in their efforts to uphold the law.

Crow-Iverson told The Gazette that the council’s focus “remains on ensuring safety and transparency for our residents while respecting the boundaries of our authority.

“Decisions regarding the placement of federal detention facilities fall outside of City Council’s jurisdiction. Whether the reports are accurate or speculative, we believe it is not our role to stoke fear or confusion during a time of national political turbulence.”

Mayor Yemi Mobolade echoed the council, stating his office’s top priority also “remains the safety and well-being of everyone in our community.” 

“We are aware of reports that the federal government is considering building detention centers in Colorado Springs,” Mobolade said in an email to The Gazette. “Immigration matters are under the sole authority of the federal government, and the city has not been involved in any planning or communication related to these reported facilities.”

The other proposed ICE detention facility locations, according to the ACLU’s obtained documents, include the Huerfano County Correctional Center in Walsenburg and the Baptiste Migrant Detention Facility in La Junta — both in southern Colorado — and the Hudson Correctional Facility in Hudson, northeast of Denver. 

Apex Site Services, a provider of temporary structures and modular buildings, proposed a “soft-sided” detention facility in Walsenburg, and Begini Howard Private Equity, a private-equity company, also submitted proposals.

The Gazette reached out to Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, whose district includes Hudson. She did not immediately return a request for comment.