Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser filed a lawsuit seeking to halt work on a new civil immigration detention center in Hudson, Colorado, according to The Center Square (reporting by Joelle Webb). The outlet says the complaint, filed Tuesday, requests a preliminary injunction to “halt the continued renovation, construction, and planned operation of a new civil immigration detention center in Hudson, Colorado,” citing a court document.
The claim: DHS and ICE must complete an environmental review
The Center Square reports the suit argues the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act before proceeding. The court filing states, “DHS and ICE have violated NEPA by contracting for the facility’s operation without considering the potential environmental impacts,” according to the outlet’s account of the document.
In a press statement quoted by The Center Square, Weiser said, “We’re asking the court to stop any further activities to open and operate the Hudson site until DHS and ICE conduct the legal analysis required by law.” The outlet also quotes Weiser as saying, “Coloradans are deeply worried about plans to open a new immigrant detention facility in Hudson to carry out the Trump administration’s inhumane — and often illegal — mass deportation scheme.”
The Center Square reports that DHS and ICE did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
Prior fight over inspections at Aurora facility
According to The Center Square, Weiser previously sued private prison operator GEO Group in August to require compliance with Colorado health and safety inspections at its immigration detention facility in Aurora. The report notes a tuberculosis outbreak was reported at the Aurora prison, and county and state public safety and environmental agencies ordered the facility to comply with state investigative procedures. The outlet says GEO Group had sued the state weeks earlier, arguing Colorado could not enforce inspections because of the company’s federal contract.
The Center Square reports that a Trump-appointed federal judge later ruled against the state, blocking major provisions of Colorado’s House Bill 26-1276 by citing the federal supremacy clause.
What Weiser’s office says about precedent
Per The Center Square’s account of the press release, Weiser’s office noted the federal government has previously conducted environmental reviews for immigration detention facilities in Texas and argued Colorado should be treated the same.
Political and litigation context
The Center Square reports this would be Weiser’s 84th lawsuit against the second Trump administration. The outlet also notes Weiser, a Democrat running for governor against Republican Victor Marx, tracks the status of his lawsuits on the Colorado Attorney General’s website in a section titled “Defending Colorado.”
What’s unanswered
Key timing details beyond “Tuesday” were not provided in the report. The Center Square said DHS and ICE had not immediately commented; any later responses were not included in the article.
