Key facts
- At least 12 detainees at a federal immigration jail in Aurora, Colorado, have contracted tuberculosis.
- The affected detainees are reportedly being held in quarantine without air conditioning during a heat advisory.
- A detainee reported that 88 individuals in his pod were tested, with 12 positive results.
- The facility is operated by The Geo Group, a private company under contract with ICE.
- Previous health concerns and lawsuits have been raised regarding conditions at the facility.
At least 12 individuals detained at a federal immigration jail in Aurora, Colorado, have contracted tuberculosis in recent days. The outbreak has led to dozens of other detainees being placed in quarantine, according to testimony from inside the facility.
One detainee reported that all 88 people in his pod were tested on Saturday, with 12 positive results emerging, an increase from a single case three days prior. He stated that instead of separating infected individuals, guards kept them together with those who were not sick, and the entire group was instructed to quarantine for at least a week. Compounding the situation, the detainee said the pod's air conditioning broke down on Sunday, with staff distributing electric fans as outside temperatures reached 96°F (36°C) under a heat advisory.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor The Geo Group, the private company operating the facility under contract, immediately responded to requests for comment. The detainee, who has been at the facility since December, described the situation as "uncomfortable" but noted some detainees were receiving medication. His partner expressed anxiety over the worsening conditions and the severity of tuberculosis.
This reported outbreak follows previous health concerns at the facility, including an apparent TB outbreak in April of last year. A lawsuit filed by Democratic politicians at that time sought greater transparency from the Trump administration regarding deaths and diseases in federal detention centers. Congressman Jason Crow, who represents Aurora, has been actively monitoring the facility's conditions and has advocated for an end to for-profit prisons.
The Geo Group, which has faced lawsuits over alleged "inhumane and unsanitary conditions" at its facilities, stated on its website that its Aurora facility provides "around-the-clock access to medical care" and that its healthcare staffing is more than double that of many state correctional facilities.