Colorado health officials blocked from TB investigation at Aurora ICE detention center

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) says it still cannot access an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Aurora that is operated by the GEO Group, hindering a public‑health investigation of a confirmed tuberculosis case. GEO missed a July 17 deadline to provide information and allow health workers inside, and the agency has not received the data needed to determine who may have been exposed.

State officials, including Rep. Jason Crow and Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, visited the site on July 15 and reported that ICE claimed it could deny local officials entry because the center is a federal facility. Immigration advocates allege more than one infection, citing a detainee who told The Guardian that at least 12 people have tested positive. CDPHE maintains that a complete investigation is required because recent infections may initially test negative.