Denver Contract Detention Facility (Aurora)

Denver Contract Detention Facility (Aurora) is an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) detention facility located in Aurora, Colorado. It falls under the Denver Field Office ERO field office area of responsibility.

Facility quick reference

How to locate or contact a detainee

To locate someone in ICE custody, use the ICE Online Detainee Locator System at locator.ice.gov. You will need the person’s A-number (Alien Registration Number) and country of birth, or their full name, country of birth, and date of birth.

To ask whether someone is held here, and to leave an urgent message for a detainee, ICE publishes one number: (303) 361-6612. ICE lists that line as answered between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. For an urgent message, leave the detainee’s full name and alien registration number (A-number), plus your own name and a phone number where you can be reached; the facility passes the message on. Detainees cannot receive incoming calls — they place outgoing calls themselves. Have the person’s biographical information ready when you call (first, last and hyphenated names, any aliases, date of birth, and country of birth).

Messages by tablet. ICE says this facility has ICE Talton tablets, and that to send messages to someone detained here, the person must have money in their account. ICE’s instructions for the Getting Out platform: create an account; add the detained person as a contact using their last name and A-number (if the last name is not accepted, check how it is spelled in the ICE Detainee Locator); deposit at least ten dollars into their “Inmate Account”; then deposit money into your own account, because each message costs 25 cents per person to send and to receive. The detained person cannot see your message until they approve you as a contact.

Visiting in person

ICE’s page for this facility (last updated 08/06/2026, checked October 3, 2026) says visiting days and hours can change on short notice with classification changes and housing moves. The schedules ICE publishes, by building and housing unit:

The visiting rules ICE publishes for this facility:

• Who may visit: family members and friends with a government-issued ID; visitors under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and no more than two adults may visit at one time.
• Timing: each visit lasts at least 60 minutes; visitors should check in 30 minutes before the visit, and no visitor is admitted at or after 9:30 p.m. A visit ends if the visitor or the detained person leaves the visiting room without permission.
• Non-contact: all family and social visits are non-contact. Nothing may be given to the detained person, and nothing may be carried into the visiting area except one diaper with baby wipes in a clear Ziploc bag.
• Conduct: anyone who appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs is turned away, and ICE warns that visitors found with contraband such as drugs, alcohol or weapons are subject to prosecution.

Everyone entering the facility or the visitation area is subject to a pat-down search, an inspection of belongings and a metal scan; anyone who refuses a reasonable search is not admitted, and no electronic devices are allowed in secure areas. ICE lists free public parking in the designated visitor lot and on the street.

Sending mail, commissary funds, and personal items

Letters and packages sent to a detainee must identify the detainee and show the sender’s name and return address (this facility’s own format is below) — and each facility publishes its own exact format: some also require a housing-unit number, and facilities run by the federal Bureau of Prisons use the BOP register number instead. ICE lists each facility’s format on that facility’s page at ice.gov. This facility’s own ICE page says incoming mail “is not read upon opening, only inspected by the delivering officer” and that detainees may seal their own outgoing letters. ICE’s detention standards allow more than that. Under ICE’s National Detention Standards, Revised 2019, §5.1(E) — and under the PBNDS 2011 mail section that ICE’s inspectors say governs this facility (see below) — incoming general mail is opened and inspected for contraband, and outgoing general mail may be inspected and read if it is addressed to another detainee or staff have reason to believe it threatens the facility’s security or order, endangers someone, or could facilitate criminal activity. Only special correspondence — mail to or from attorneys and other legal representatives, courts and judges, government attorneys, embassies and consulates, the President and Vice President of the United States, members of Congress, the Department of Justice (including the immigration courts), DHS (including ICE/ERO, IHSC, CRCL and the DHS Inspector General), grievance administrators, and the news media — may not be read or copied by staff. Incoming special correspondence is inspected for contraband in the detainee’s presence; outgoing special correspondence is not opened, inspected or read, and if a need exists, any inspection takes place in the detainee’s presence. The standard limits any inspection to detecting physical contraband and confirming that enclosures qualify as special correspondence. Mail counts as special correspondence only if the envelope unambiguously identifies the title and office of the sender (incoming mail) or of the addressee (outgoing mail); PBNDS 2011 also requires the envelope to be labeled “special correspondence” or “legal mail.” Rules for commissary (account) deposits and permitted personal items vary by facility, and so does the number that handles them — ICE names a separate facility mail clerk on some facility pages. This facility’s deposit route, accepted form of payment and contacts are in the Sending Items to Detainees section of its own ICE page (linked above).

What ICE publishes for this facility’s mail, money, and packages

• Letters must include the last four digits of the detainee’s A-number (File Number), plus the sender’s name and address. Outgoing mail is routed to the post office within 24 hours of receipt by facility staff.
• Money: ICE says money can be deposited to a detained person’s account through the kiosk in the detention center or online through Getting Out (see the tablet-message steps above). Funds that arrive by mail are taken to the processing area, put on the account and receipted; ICE cautions detainees not to have cash sent in the mail. The page publishes no money-order payee and no deposit mailing address — confirm both with the facility at (303) 361-6612 before mailing money.
• Packages: limited to items needed solely for travel or release from custody, with the ICE Deportation Officer’s approval. Before sending one, ICE says to contact the case Deportation Officer at GEO – Denver Contract Detention Facility (Aurora), 3130 Oakland Street, Aurora, CO 80010, (303) 361-6612.
• Stamps: detainees may buy them; indigent detainees get a postage allowance at government expense.
• Transfers and departures: only legal mail is forwarded; general correspondence is returned to sender.
• Luggage for removal: one small piece is allowed; otherwise luggage can be sent after approval from the Supervisory Deportation Officer. No electronic devices are accepted.
• Which mail standard applies here: ICE’s May 2026 inspection report says this facility operates under the Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) 2011 (Revised 2016), not NDS 2019. That standard’s Correspondence and Other Mail section (5.1) sets the same kind of limits: incoming general correspondence may be read to the extent necessary to maintain security, including at random with the facility administrator’s approval; outgoing general mail may be inspected or read if it is addressed to another detainee or there is evidence it might threaten the facility, endanger anyone or facilitate crime; and staff may neither read nor copy special correspondence or legal mail.

For how deposit routes differ from facility to facility, see how to send money to someone in ICE detention.

Legal access, attorneys, and immigration court information

Detainees have the right to speak with an attorney, and attorney–client visits and calls are confidential. For information about a case before the immigration court (EOIR), EOIR’s automated line 1-800-898-7180 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, English and Spanish) gives the next hearing date and case status; callers enter the 9 digits of the A-number, without the letter A (EOIR, checked October 24, 2026). For a matter before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the main line of EOIR (the Justice Department agency the BIA belongs to) is (703) 305-0289. Applications for relief from removal must be filed directly with the immigration court handling the case. If you cannot afford an attorney, the immigration court can provide a list of pro bono legal service providers — see the related resources below.

Case information, the deportation officer, and G-28s

• Case-information requests for people held at this facility go to Denver.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov. ICE notes this mailbox does not accept applications for a stay of removal or case appeals.
• To learn who the client’s Deportation Officer is, ICE says to contact the Denver Field Office at the Denver Contract Detention Facility at (303) 361-0723; a G-28 must be on file before anything is disclosed.
• G-28s can be submitted through ICE’s online platform ERO eFile. Facility staff do not have access to ERO eFile, so representatives should bring a downloaded copy of the submitted G-28 to any in-person or remote legal visit.

Video legal visits and confidential legal calls

ICE says this facility offers the Virtual Attorney Visitation (VAV) Program, which does not replace in-person meetings but gives attorneys another way to reach clients (ICE VAV flyer).

• How to book: email auroravav@geogroup.com, or call (303) 361-6612 ext. 178 for the officer who schedules them; a facility officer emails back a confirmed date and time.
• What the email must include: the representative’s full name and contact information (phone, email and Skype ID if any); the detained person’s name and A-number; a few proposed dates and times; a scan of the representative’s government-issued ID; a scan of a bar card, attorney or paralegal license or similar proof of active legal status; and a scan of the G-28 (unless the visit is pre-representational). If a legal assistant is the only one joining, attach an authorization letter on the firm’s or organization’s letterhead and a scan of the assistant’s ID.
• Timing and limits: book 24 hours ahead. Appointments are scheduled 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 30- to 60-minute blocks. There is no cap on how many appointments a representative may request, but no more than one 60-minute appointment with the same detainee per day.
• Rules: only legal representatives, legal assistants and interpreters may take part (outside interpretation services may be added); sessions are confidential, with an officer outside earshot but within sight who knocks 5 minutes before the end. Recording is prohibited, and a violation can lead to suspension or permanent loss of VAV privileges.

Faxing legal documents to a detainee

When timely communication by mail is not possible, the facility administrator may allow a reasonable amount of legal fax communication. Legal representatives can fax legal correspondence to (303) 739-8740 with a cover letter giving the detained person’s full name, A-number, the sender’s return fax number and the total number of pages. The fax is delivered to the detained person in a sealed envelope, inspected for contraband but not read. Legal fax requests are processed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., excluding holidays.

Free legal providers on EOIR’s list for the Aurora Immigration Court

EOIR’s Aurora Immigration Court is at 3130 North Oakland Street, Aurora, CO 80010 — the facility’s own address. EOIR says the court is located in a DHS-controlled detention facility and points visitors to this facility’s ICE page for entry information; its public hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and window filing hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday except federal holidays. ICE’s facility page does not itself name the court that hears each case, so confirm a specific case through EOIR’s hotline at 1-800-898-7180.

ICE says a list of pro bono (free) legal organizations, updated quarterly, is posted in the housing units, and that it is the detainee’s own responsibility to contact a provider for an appointment. On the October 2026 edition of EOIR’s List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers, the entries under Aurora Immigration Court are:

EOIR states that it does not endorse any of the organizations, referral services, or attorneys on its list.

Aurora Immigration Court contacts and submissions

The EOIR Aurora Immigration Court page gives these court contacts and submission rules (checked October 24, 2026):

• Court questions: EOIR lists 303-361-0488 and Aurora.Immigration.Court@usdoj.gov.
• Court submissions: EOIR says the court does not accept faxes or other electronic submissions unless the transmission has been specifically requested by immigration court staff or the immigration judge.

Feedback, complaints, and oversight

To report a concern about conditions at this facility or the conduct of an ICE or contract employee, contact the ERO Denver Field Office that oversees this facility, or file a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL). On its own Make a Civil Rights Complaint page DHS publishes one channel — the online portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint; CBP additionally publishes, for the same office, the e-mail address CRCL@dhs.gov, fax (202) 401-4708, and the postal address DHS/CRCL, Compliance Branch, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, DC 20528-0190. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline is 1-800-323-8603.

This facility’s own ICE page adds these channels:

• Comments on service, or a misconduct complaint to the field office: Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 12445 E. Caley Avenue, Centennial, CO 80111, 720-873-2899.
• ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (by mail): Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street, SW, Suite 1049, Mailstop 5099, Washington, DC 20536-5005.
• ICE OPR Integrity Coordination Center: 1-833-4ICE-OPR or ICEOPRIntake@ice.dhs.gov.
• DHS OIG in writing: DHS Office of Inspector General, Attn: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, Building 410 Stop: 2600, Washington, DC 20528 · fax (202) 245-5217 · DHSOIGHOTLINE@DHS.GOV.

A news reporter who wants to interview someone held here must apply in writing to the Denver Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations. ICE says a detainee has the right not to be interviewed, photographed or recorded, and the reporter must first obtain the detainee’s written permission.

ICE inspection record

ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), part of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, inspected this facility on May 12–14, 2026 (ODO report). What the report says:

• Who runs it: the facility opened in 1987 and is owned and operated by The GEO Group, Inc.; ICE began housing detainees there in 1987 under ERO Denver. It is a dedicated ICE facility operating under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), and it holds male and female detainees of low, medium, medium-high and high security classification for periods longer than 72 hours.
• Staffing and services: ERO has detention officers assigned to the facility full time, on site Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. GEO provides food service and medical care, and Keefe Commissary Network provides commissary. The facility was accredited by the American Correctional Association in February 2024 and by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care in June 2025, and was certified under the DHS Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards after a July 2024 audit.
• Findings: compliant with all 29 standards reviewed; no deficiencies.
• Detainee interviews: ODO interviewed 36 detainees; none alleged discrimination, mistreatment or abuse. One detainee expressed suicidal ideation during his interview; ODO ended the interview and had staff escort him to the medical unit, where a mental health practitioner placed him on suicide watch the same day and released him from it the next day.
• Rating: Superior. The previous inspection, in February 2025, found 3 deficiencies (Medical Care, Medical Care (Women), and Significant Self-harm and Suicide Prevention and Intervention) and rated the facility Good.

ODO redacts bed-capacity and population counts in the published report; for population, see the ICE statistics box above. ICE lists every posted report, back to 2012 for this facility, on its ODO facility inspections page.

Earlier inspection — August 13-15, 2024. In its follow-up compliance inspection of Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, ODO recorded:

• Entry procedures: the facility did not retain identification from individuals entering its secure perimeter.
• Language access: ODO reviewed 25 requests to ERO Denver and reported no response translated into the original language in 8 out of 11 requests.

These findings describe the August 2024 inspection.

• In its August 22-24, 2023 follow-up inspection, ODO found that the forward baggage compartment of each of three facility buses lacked the transmission fluid, radiator water and oil listed on the inventory sheet. ODO report.
• In that August 22-24, 2023 inspection, ODO found that detainee property in 29 of 29 containers was not secured in a tamper-resistant manner. ODO report.
• In its September 13-17, 2021 follow-up inspection under PBNDS 2011 (Revised 2016), ODO found compliance with 9 of 17 standards and 29 deficiencies in the remaining 8 standards, including 6 repeat deficiencies. ODO report.

Related procedural resources

• Know Your Rights — what to do if ICE detains you
• EOIR immigration court schedules and procedures
• BIA-recognized legal-aid organizations in Colorado
• Other ICE detention facilities in Colorado
• All facilities under the Denver Field Office
• How to send money to someone in ICE detention