A town in northern Colorado with a population of less than 2,000 people is now the focus of national attention with the news that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is about to open a new detention center that could hold upwards of 1,200 detainees.
In an official press release, the Town of Hudson has said its goal is to share information with residents on “what is currently known, what remains unknown, and how the Town is responding to protect residents and municipal services.”
Three days ago, the Boca Raton, Florida-based GEO Group Incorporated said it had entered into a five-year contract with ICE to provide support services for what is officially being called the Big Horn Facility.
The new facility, said George Zoley, chief executive officer with the GEO Group, “will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bedspace.”
Formerly called the Hudson Correctional Facility, the center was opened in 2009 and is owned by the Highlands Real Estate Investment Trust of Chicago. The facility operated as a privately-run prison until it closed operations in 2014.
At a site made up of four large inmate buildings arranged in a circular formation, along with a separate triangular-shaped office structure, the facility is seeing some upgrade work due to its 12-year closure.
In the Town of Hudson official press release, it is noted that the town does “not have approval authority over federal immigration detention operations at this private facility.” The statement also said that the Town has no information on an operational timeline for the facility, nor the actual number of detainees to be housed at the facility.
Responding to many calls seeking more information or expressing opposition to using the facility for immigration detention purposes, the Town has said that for now it is determined to focus on traffic, infrastructure, and utility use issues that may be associated with the project.
When plans were initially aired last year for using the Hudson facility as a detention center, a letter was released by Colorado Democrat Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper asserting that it would be difficult for “legal representation, advocates, and family members” to visit inmates there due to its remote location.
July 16, 2026
By Garry Boulard
