Colorado Attorney General Sues to Block Hudson Detention Center

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a federal lawsuit to block the opening of the Big Horn, a planned immigration detention center in Hudson, Colorado. The facility would repurpose a private prison closed since 2013 and provide approximately 1,200 to 1,250 beds, nearly doubling the state's immigrant detention capacity.

Weiser alleges that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the Immigration and Nationality Act. The lawsuit claims federal agencies failed to conduct required environmental and residential impact analyses before signing a five-year contract with The GEO Group valued at approximately $528.7 million. Weiser argues the facility would stress local water infrastructure, increase air pollution, and threaten protected wildlife, specifically a mule deer migration corridor and Box Elder Creek.

The suit seeks a preliminary injunction to halt ongoing construction and renovation, as well as the cancellation of the federal contract. This is the third legal challenge to the project, following separate lawsuits filed by Together Colorado and a coalition including GreenLatinos and the Colorado Immigration Rights Coalition.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security dismissed the legal action as a political attempt to obstruct President Donald Trump's immigration and public safety priorities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement defended the project, stating the additional capacity is necessary to implement administration enforcement priorities and protect public safety.