Colorado town of Hudson and city of Walsenburg eyed for tripling state's immigrant detention capacity

Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be months away from opening more immigrant detention centers in Colorado, which would nearly triple the detention capacity of ICE in the state.

The agency is looking to reopen shuttered prisons in Hudson northeast of Denver and Walsenburg in southern Colorado.

The federal government has allocated more than $170 billion for immigration enforcement. It's part of President Trump's promise of mass deportations.

This week Colorado members of Congress said ICE is close to signing a deal to add detention beds in Hudson.

On Friday, the Washington Post reported it obtained federal documents showing what ICE is planning for Colorado and other states.

That includes adding 1,400 beds in Walsenburg, 1,100 in Hudson, 28 in Ignacio on the Southern Ute reservation and 170 more beds at the current facility in Aurora -- bringing that capacity to more than 1,500 detainees, according to the Washington Post.

People in Walsenburg are wondering if a shuttered private prison will reopen as early as this fall.

"No, not in Colorado," said protestor Valerie Harper with Grassroots Pueblo. "These are no longer criminals they're picking up. They're targeting Brown people and sorting it out later."

"They're doing everything under wraps, nobody knows if they're going to open, where they're going to open," said protestor Eliott Kahn, who said he traveled to Walsenburg from Pueblo West.

Protestors gathered at the Huerfano County Correctional Center, where private prison company Core Civic has bid for a contract with ICE.

Kahn is concerned where this is headed.

"Everyone wants criminals deported, I mean these people in MS13 and Tren de Aragua, they're terrible people nobody minds that those people are deported. We want to stop the illegal deportations as well as the arrest of hard working immigrants. Everything is secretive. They wear masks, everything it's just all very illegal, very scary because if they come for these people they can come for us."

Walsenburg's Mayor Gary Vezzani says reopening the Huerfano facility to detain immigrants will be a boost as the town tackles debt.

"I think ICE does a lot better more good things than they do bad things, it's too big an agency to say there isn't some bad but all in all I think you've got to support your country and they're part of our country," the mayor said.

Vezzani said that he's heard nothing official about the expanded detention plans for his town.

"Core Civic has never really contacted us, told us anything. They've kept it up all these years and they're just expecting back in. They have not asked our permission, they have not asked to be in joint contact, there's nothing in writing, nothing."

ICE is close to signing a deal to reopen a facility in Hudson, according to Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat who represents Colorado's 7th Congressional District.

Vera Palyo welcomes the move.

"We need more facilities to take care of America. We don't have enough places for these people to go so they can be processed whether to stay or to go," Palyo said.

Rural Colorado communities are being tasked to solve a problem they say originated long ago in Washington.

"It's the Congress's fault all these people are here illegally," added Kahn. "If they would pass some sensible immigration law. And then Trump killed the last immigration law so he could use it in the election."   

ICE sent a statement:

Since Jan. 20, ICE has increased detention bed space to approximately 62,000, reflecting the urgent operational need created by the prior administration's open-border policies. The reckless lack of enforcement during that time overwhelmed our systems and made these expansions not only necessary but critical to restoring law and order.

ICE has worked with private detention operators, local governments, and other federal partners to identify and bring online over 60 new detention facilities and added permanent and temporary capacity to its existing facilities for a total of approximately 18,000 additional beds active or pending activation (see attached list).

These contracts ensure ICE has the resources and infrastructure required to carry out its enforcement mission and detain illegal aliens who commit crimes and violate our immigration laws.

While we cannot confirm individual pre-decisional conversations, we can confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.