Rep. Jason Crow, U.S. representative for Colorado's Sixth Congressional District, told a League of Women Voters of Colorado audience on April 8 that his office has stepped up oversight of the GEO-run immigration detention center in Aurora and will push back against what he called the administration’s effort at mass deportation.

Crow described a multi-pronged approach that includes unannounced inspections of the Aurora facility, a federal statutory change he sponsored to guarantee congressional access to detention facilities, distribution of “know your rights” materials, and constituent casework to help detained people and their families navigate federal immigration processes.

The overview matters because oversight and access determine whether members of Congress, local advocates and attorneys can document conditions and help secure due process for people held in federal immigration custody. Crow said the changes his office helped secure now require ICE, Customs and Border Protection and HHS facilities to provide immediate access to members of Congress and up to 24 hours’ advance notice for staff visits, enabling more regular monitoring and public reporting.

Crow said his first unannounced visits to the Aurora facility were turned away by officials and that it took multiple attempts before he and his staff were admitted. “When you announce it when you're coming, it's funny what happens,” Crow said, describing how facilities can present a cleaned-up view when inspections are announced. He said his office used appropriations language to formalize oversight and published a toolkit and checklist other members of Congress can use.

Ashley Wieland, district director for Crow’s office, described the team’s inspection practices and the information they check on each visit. “It is set up like a detention center, like a prison. That is what it is like,” Wieland said. Wieland said the office used to receive an emailed report from ICE after inspections but that ICE has stopped providing that summary; the office now collects answers in person. Wieland said the GEO contract in the area specifies 1,360 contracted beds, the facility can hold up to about 1,500 people, and recent counts have been about 1,200 detainees.

Crow and his staff said health-care access is a recurring concern at the facility. Crow said officials have reported problems moving detainees with acute medical conditions to outside hospitals quickly enough, and Wieland said inspectors check medical staffing numbers and meet with the facility’s health administrator during visits.

Crow also summarized his broader policy work: he said he and other lawmakers inserted language into federal appropriations to create what he called the Public Oversight and Detention Centers Act, which he described as a change in law guaranteeing legislator access for oversight. The measure, Crow said, created a checklist and toolkit for other members’ offices and allowed his team to publish reports used by advocacy groups such as the ACLU and the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network.

On the question of private, for-profit detention, Crow said he opposes inserting profit motives into detention systems and has for years pushed to end private immigration detention contracts. He and Representative Pramila Jayapal have led efforts to extend the federal ban on for-profit federal prisons to immigration detention; Crow said that remains politically unlikely in the current Congress but that he will continue to press the issue. The GEO contract for the Aurora facility, Crow and staff said, expires in the fall of 2026; advocacy groups are pressing for nonrenewal or stronger contract terms if the contract is extended.

The audience raised questions about specific cases and deportations to El Salvador. Crow acknowledged there are instances in which people he described as “innocent” have been deported and placed in difficult conditions abroad, and said constituent casework and confidential releases can sometimes allow his office to intercede. “It's only a matter of time before innocent people get swept up,” Crow said, arguing that due-process protections must be applied to people present in the United States.

Speakers at the event also raised the revocation of student visas and reports that some visa actions have targeted Muslim and pro-Palestinian students at state universities. Crow said his office is working with university officials, gathering information and pursuing casework where possible, but that those constituent cases are confidential and handled through his office’s immigration casework team.

Crow urged community monitoring and documentation: recording instances of enforcement, sharing information with lawmakers and advocacy organizations, and distributing know-your-rights materials. He said his office has produced cards and handouts for community groups and legal organizations and that regular, local oversight by members’ offices and advocates can produce evidence used in litigation or public campaigns.

Organizers with the League of Women Voters and staff from Crow’s office said they will circulate the office’s reports, inspection findings, and lists of resources to attendees. The event closed with an appeal from Crow to remain engaged: “Please just stay active, stay involved and engaged,” he said, calling the current period decisive for civil liberties.

Ending notes: organizers listed upcoming League events and offered follow-up contact information for constituent services and for people seeking help with detained relatives or visa problems. The League and Crow’s office said they will send an email packet with reports, know-your-rights materials and contact details for casework.