Colorado Sues GEO Group to Force Compliance with Tuberculosis Investigation at Aurora ICE Detention Center
核心洞察
Colorado's Attorney General filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Denver District Court to compel GEO Group (搜索) to comply with a tuberculosis (搜索) investigation at the Aurora ICE detention center.
The state argues it is "flying in the dark" regarding a contagious and deadly infectious disease after GEO and ICE refused to provide patient records and contact-tracing information.
GEO ignored a county health order from late June and a state public health order, prompting legal action under a Colorado law requiring immediate investigation of active tuberculosis (搜索) cases.
The Colorado Attorney General's Office filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Denver District Court seeking to force GEO Group (搜索), the private prison company operating the state's sole immigrant detention center, to comply with a tuberculosis (搜索) investigation at the Aurora facility. The legal action follows GEO's failure to meet a Monday deadline to turn over records about a June tuberculosis case at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (搜索) (ICE) facility to state health authorities.
The lawsuit argues that, because GEO and ICE have not provided records to health inspectors, Colorado is "flying in the dark when it comes to a contagious and deadly infectious disease within its borders." The state is asking a Denver judge to issue a ruling enforcing the public health order.
"The Geo Group (搜索) is endangering Coloradans' public health by refusing to follow the state health department's order and by violating Colorado law," Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. "This law keeps our residents safe and enables the health department to take necessary measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis (搜索)."
A Standoff That Began in June
The dispute traces back to late June, when Adams County health officials learned that a GEO detainee had tested positive for tuberculosis (搜索), a potentially fatal respiratory disease. Adams County officials issued a health order later that month seeking access to the facility and more information about the patient and anyone with whom they had come into contact.
According to the lawsuit, health inspectors had previously partnered with GEO to conduct disease investigations, including a mumps case in 2019 and another TB infection in 2024. However, in this case, GEO stopped speaking with Adams County officials after the company set up a call between inspectors and the infected patient in late June. The company instead directed health officials to send all questions through GEO's lawyers.
GEO ignored the county order and a mid-July request from state health officials for the same information. Governor Jared Polis made at least two attempts to speak to senior GEO staff, both of which were rebuffed.
Escalation to State Legal Action
Amid pressure from advocates, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (搜索) (CDPHE) issued another public health order to GEO last week. The order dropped the prior request for physical access to the detention center, though it still sought records about the patient and their potential contacts.
"CDPHE's priority is protecting everyone connected to the facility, including detained people, employees, contractors, visitors, and the broader community," CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan said in a statement. "We sought to complete this routine investigation collaboratively, just as we would with any other facility in Colorado. Because repeated requests and the county's public health order have not produced the necessary information, we are taking this additional step to obtain the information needed to protect public health."
The order sought access to information about the confirmed TB case to complete a public health investigation. GEO and ICE provided general information that the infected person was isolated, treated, and removed from the country, but state and local public health officials said they were unable to independently verify that without the requested access. Officials sought specific information about the infected person's test results, treatment, and current location, as well as information for contact tracing.
"GEO's denial of access to the detention facility, the individual with confirmed tuberculosis (搜索), the individual's medical information, and other potentially exposed individuals is impeding public health's ability to conduct a needed disease control investigation to ensure that infection control measures are sufficient to prevent further spread of disease," the order stated.
Legal Basis and Company Response
The lawsuit was filed under a Colorado law requiring investigations of tuberculosis (搜索) cases, which directs the state "to use every available means to investigate immediately and ascertain the existence of all reported or suspected cases of active tuberculosis within (its) jurisdiction." The suit was not filed under a new law passed earlier this year that requires more regular inspections of the GEO facility and empowers state authorities to penalize the company for failing to comply with communicable disease probes. GEO is currently challenging that new law in federal court.
In a statement Tuesday, GEO spokesman Christopher Ferreira did not comment on the company's refusal to comply with the health order. He said there were no active cases of TB at the Aurora detention center and that federal authorities "remain actively involved in disease-prevention and control measures" at the facility.
Governor Polis said in a statement that "Geo's consistent lack of transparency" was blocking a routine health investigation. "Public health orders carry the weight of law, and we appreciate the collaboration from Attorney General Weiser's office on this effort," he wrote. "I am hopeful the courts will ensure that local public health officials get the information needed to protect public health."
State health department spokeswoman Hope Shuler said the agency was disappointed that legal action was necessary. "We remain ready to work collaboratively, but cooperation requires GEO to provide access and information required by law," she wrote. "We hope this action results in prompt compliance so public health officials can complete the investigation and ensure that anyone who may have been exposed receives appropriate follow-up care."
An oversight report from U.S. Rep. Jason Crow's office found that 61 people were exposed to the sick person and isolated. Washington state and New Jersey have both also filed recent lawsuits against GEO to force the company to allow health inspectors access to its facilities in those states.