Hudson community members, allies rally in eastern Colorado against ICE detention center proposal
Crowds of Hudson residents and people from other parts of Colorado gathered outside the former Hudson Correctional Facility on Wednesday to protest against proposed plans to build an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center at that location.
"We're here to stand up for injustice," said Jenifer Montes, who is with a group called Immigrant Partnership Team in Weld County and with the group No Concentration Camps in Colorado.
"We're supposed to protect our communities, we're supposed to serve our communities, that is not what this looks like," said Lexxa Bazley.
The private prison company GEO Group operates ICE detention facilities across the country, including one in the Denver metro area in Aurora. Earlier this month, the ACLU of Colorado released documents, following a public records request lawsuit, that highlight GEO Group's plans to establish and operate what ICE calls the Big Horn Correctional Facility at the former detention facility, a building that hasn't been in use in over a decade.
"This place can't house 1,200 immigrants. It's basically going to be sardines in a can," said Montes.
"I want to understand the local Hudson municipal plans to address the health and safety of detainees here. I want to understand how local law enforcement is going to ensure that rights and dignity of all people are respected," said Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales.
Protesters say there are still a lot of unknowns as to when the center will be up and running, but they hoped to appeal to council leaders in Hudson and ask them to stand with them in opposing the plans.
Some protesters went to a Hudson town council meeting after the protest.
"Even though we may not have a say, we can still stand here and defend," one Hudson resident said in that meeting.
Some people who said they are against the proposed detention center worry the number of detainees there will double the community's population size and deplete their existing resources.
"The people of Hudson are going to eat the costs on raises and utilities and raises in health care costs due to the increase in emergency service utilization by this facility," said Dorian Gray at the protest.
"I want to express my deepest concerns that having a nearby facility in this community is going to put this entire county in the crossfire of violent interaction that ICE officers have shown to regularly bring in their presence," another Colorado resident said in the meeting.
While residents say they feel as though council members have not prioritized discussing GEO Group's plans, one councilmember shared a statement indicating their hands are tied in the matter:
Councilmember Zach Reyes stated the following:
I cannot speak for the rest of the council members opinions. As a non party affiliated elected official my personal viewpoint is irrelevant and i will always act with the wishes of the people of Hudson. On another note, the Town has minimal say in what the owner of the property chooses to do with their property. The Town can only enforce code requirements set forth with current ordinances in effect both locally and with the state. Furthermore, the Town has not been approached by GEO nor the federal government in regards to permitting or use. Therefore, there is nothing to say yes or no to. We as the council know just as much about the rumors as you, the public, knows.
Best regards
Yet, for the people who stand with the immigrant community, they say backing down is not an option.
"Expanding detention does not create safety; it creates fear. It silences people and drives families into shadows and erodes trust in local institutions," said one speaker. "It will signal whether the city stands with its neighbors and communities, or with a private prison corporation that profits from human confinement."
Neither the spokesperson for the GEO Group in Aurora, or ICE, responded to CBS Colorado's request for comment on Wednesday's protest, but a national spokesperson for ICE previously stated they are exploring all options to meet their current and future detention requirements.
