In January 2026, U.S. health officials opened an investigation into reports of a widespread illness at the near-capacity Aurora immigration detention facility in Adams County, Colorado. Immigrant-rights advocates warn that a largely untreated outbreak has swept through the center.
Jennifer Lucero-Alvarez, a spokeswoman for the Adams County Health Department, recently told the Denver Post that officials had "received multiple reports about possible gastrointestinal and respiratory illness" at the facility. She declined to share details on the number of detainees affected or the current conditions within the center.
Early this month, the Denver Contract Detention Facility confirmed multiple influenza cases, according to U.S. Representative Jason Crow's office. ICE has yet to disclose how many people are sick. The agency detains immigrants awaiting deportation hearings or removal from the country.
Operated by the private corporation GEO Group under federal contract, the 1,532-bed Aurora center has a documented history of failing to contain contagious diseases. In early 2020, ICE inspections found dozens of detainees quarantined with flu and mumps, part of three separate outbreaks within four months in 2019.
Beyond infectious diseases, the facility has faced repeated complaints over inadequate medical care. A 2024 ACLU report highlighted cases of medical incompetence, dental neglect and inadequate mental healthcare, contributing to at least two preventable deaths. In one case, staff abruptly cut off a detainee's medication, misapplied medical protocols and dismissed his seizure symptoms before he died.
This outbreak is not isolated within the ICE system. A University of California, San Francisco study published in JAMA found that 17 of 22 ICE centers experienced sustained outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses between 2017 and 2020. One facility battled chickenpox for 33 months alongside year-round influenza transmission.
Most detainees—86 percent as of January 2025—are housed in for-profit facilities. The GEO Group and CoreCivic dominate the market, with the GEO Group earning over $1 billion from ICE contracts in 2022 alone.
Government inspections have repeatedly documented negligent medical care, unsafe and unsanitary conditions, and instances of abusive treatment. One expert noted that violations at a GEO Group center were so severe they would warrant a hospital closure if found in a medical setting.
On January 12, 2026, the Aurora City Council passed a resolution condemning ICE operations in the city, citing the facility’s uncontrolled illness outbreak among other concerns. That same week, Representative Crow filed a lawsuit against the U.S. administration, accusing officials of blocking congressional oversight of immigration detention centers, including the one in Aurora.
As scrutiny mounts, activists and lawmakers say reforms are urgently needed to protect the health and rights of detainees in a system long plagued by neglect.
Reference(s):
Sickness spreads as U.S. immigration detention health crisis worsens
cgtn.com
