Colorado officials said Tuesday that the GEO Group has failed to provide access required under state law for a tuberculosis investigation at the Aurora ICE Processing Center, hindering efforts to identify people who may have been exposed.

The Adams County Health Department confirmed a detainee with active tuberculosis at the Aurora detention facility last month.

Three days later, the department issued a public health order directing GEO to comply with an investigation by providing access to medical records, identifying potential exposures and allowing investigators to interview the patient.

“As of today, GEO has not provided information or access necessary for ACHD and Denver Health Tuberculosis Clinic to conduct a public health investigation into the case of TB and any possible exposures,” Jennifer Lucero-Alvarez, an Adams County Health Department spokesperson, said in an email to The Denver Gazette.

Without that cooperation, health officials say they cannot determine the scope of potential exposure.

“We remain concerned about individuals in the facility, including those who are detained and staff who might have been exposed,” Lucero-Alvarez said.

The issue of tuberculosis also surfaced repeatedly during last week’s Hudson Town Council meeting, where several speakers warned the reopening of the Hudson detention facility could pose additional public health risks.

Adams County health officials said they have not been able to verify reports of additional tuberculosis cases because they have not received the information needed to complete their investigation.

“Because ACHD has not yet received all of the information necessary to complete its investigation, the department cannot independently verify reports regarding additional cases or determine whether additional individuals require evaluation or follow-up,” Dr. Kelly Weidenbach, the Adams County Health Department’s executive director, said in a statement.

Last week, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan sent a letter to GEO Warden Juan Baltazar and Health Administrator Anhtuan Pham requesting “immediate cooperation” with the investigation.

“These barriers prevent public health officials from determining the scope of potential exposure and taking appropriate steps to protect detainees, employees, contractors, visitors, people who have been transferred or released, and others who may have been exposed,” Ryan wrote. “Immediate cooperation is necessary for the investigation to proceed.”

Hope Shuler, a spokesperson for the state health agency, said GEO has not yet responded to the department’s request.

“The greatest risk is to the people who spend extended time inside the facility, including detainees and staff,” Shuler said in an email. “The risk to the broader public, while lower, is plausible if someone exposed at the facility becomes infected and exposes others both inside and outside of the facility.”

GEO officials did not respond to a Denver Gazette request for comment.

Tuberculosis is an airborne disease that most often affects the lungs, although it can also affect the brain, kidneys and spine. If left untreated, it can be fatal.

Symptoms include a cough lasting three weeks or longer, chest pain, coughing up blood or phlegm, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, loss of appetite, fever and night sweats, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

TB spreads through the air from one person to another.

People at greatest risk include those born in or who frequently travel to countries where TB is common, including parts of Latin America, Asia and Africa, as well as people who live or work in congregate settings, such as homeless shelters, prisons and jails.

Individuals with weakened immune systems because of certain medications or medical conditions, including diabetes, cancer and HIV, are also at greater risk of developing the disease.

Over the past five years, Colorado has averaged 77 tuberculosis cases annually. The state reported 103 cases in 2025. Nationwide, 9,633 cases were reported in 2023.

While a vaccine exists, it is not routinely used in the United States.

Not everyone exposed to tuberculosis develops active disease. The CDC estimates about 13 million people in the United States have inactive, or latent, tuberculosis infection.