ICE denies U.S. Rep. Jason Crow entry to Aurora detention facility, congressman says

U S Rep Jason Crow was denied entry to a federal immigration detention facility in Aurora over the weekend in apparent violation of federal law the congressman s office commented Crow a Democrat who represents Aurora attempted to make an unannounced visit to the facility on Sunday Doing so is allowed by a federal law that the congressman helped champion in But he was denied access in violation of federal law Crow commented in a video taken outside of the facility and posted on the social platform X As Democratic lawmakers have increasingly shown up at detention centers to inspect their conditions U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement lately enacted its own guidelines requiring congressional members to give at least hours notice before arriving at a facility Federal law does not require the type of notice that ICE has now sought to implement Crow s office did not forthwith respond to a request for comment Monday morning Nor did Steve Kotecki a spokesman for Denver s ICE office The Aurora facility is a privately run detention center operated by the GEO Group and is capable of holding more than people As of late June its average daily population was according to a Syracuse University watchdog group On Sunday John Fabbricatore a former ICE field office director and Crow s unsuccessful Republican challenger in last year s balloting responded to Crow s X post You went there on a Sunday knowing no one from ICE was there and that GEO was working with a weekend crew He called the attempted visit performative Advocates and attorneys have long raised concerns about the conditions at the facility The American Civil Liberties Union described the facility s conditions as atrocious in after an Iranian man died there In the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition issued a overview from detainees and their family members describing staff aggression and mistreatment Last month a University of Utah scholar detained at the facility explained she was served soggy bread and food and mentioned she was treated better once the staff realized she spoke English Related Articles Hegseth tells lawmakers about plan to detain immigrants at bases in Indiana and New Jersey For a low payment consultant offered to get Colorado counties off Trump s list of sanctuary jurisdictions The rise of masked officers is controversial new ground in American life Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients personal material including addresses to ICE A Montrose immigrant was on his way to work A week later and with no apparent court appearance he was in Mexico Crow was repeatedly denied access to the facility in amid a sickness outbreak He later sponsored statute allowing unannounced visits from members of Congress the bill was passed as part of a broader spending bill Crow s office commented in a declaration His office now regularly publishes reports about the population and conditions within the facility His office has also explained that the Trump administration has stopped providing regular written updates about the facility to Crow According to records obtained by the ACLU the GEO Group has proposed opening another ICE detention facility in Colorado Springs as the agency and the Trump administration seek to ramp up detentions and deportations Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot