Colorado Lawmakers Demand Answers After ICE Used Sub-Offices as Detention Sites

Reports say detainees may have been held for weeks inside small ICE sub-office rooms never designed for long-term detention.

Colorado lawmakers are demanding answers from federal immigration officials after reports that detainees may have been held for weeks inside small ICE holding rooms meant only for short-term processing.

The concerns center on field-office detention spaces used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across Colorado. Lawmakers say the rooms were never designed for extended detention and are now requesting detailed explanations from federal authorities.

According to reporting by KUSA-TV, members of Colorado’s congressional delegation sent a letter to ICE requesting information about possible violations of the agency’s own detention rules.

The letter was signed by Michael Bennet, John Hickenlooper, and Representatives Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Brittany Pettersen.

The lawmakers say they are concerned that detainees have been kept for extended periods inside small field-office holding rooms that were never designed for long-term detention.

Thousands reportedly held in sub-office locations

The concerns follow reporting based on data from the Deportation Data Project, which found that more than 3,000 people were detained in one of nine ICE holding locations across Colorado in 2025.

According to the report, some detainees were held for days or even weeks in these spaces despite the rooms being intended only for temporary processing.

These holding rooms are typically located inside ICE field offices and are not designed to function as long-term detention facilities.

ICE rules limit holding room detention

Until recently, ICE policy limited detention in hold rooms to no more than 12 hours.

In June 2025, that limit was expanded to 72 hours as immigration enforcement activity increased.

However, the data reviewed by investigators suggests those limits may have been exceeded in multiple cases.

Two Nicaraguan men were reportedly held in a Denver ICE holding room for 39 days and 36 days, far beyond the agency’s official limits.

Other detainees were reportedly held for 12 to 34 days in field-office holding rooms in Frederick and Pueblo.

Lawmakers question conditions

In their letter, the Colorado delegation warned that prolonged detention in these spaces raises serious concerns about safety and humane treatment.

They asked ICE to explain how detainees’ medical care, nutrition, and hygiene needs are being met when people are kept in rooms not designed for long-term detention.

The lawmakers also requested documentation showing how long individuals were held in these facilities and what oversight exists to ensure ICE policies are followed.

They have asked the agency to respond to the inquiry by March 27.

ICE disputes claims of “secret facilities”

ICE officials have pushed back on reports describing the locations as “secret detention sites.”

The agency says the rooms are standard field-office holding areas used temporarily during enforcement operations, and that detainees are typically transferred to larger detention centers afterward.

Colorado currently has one primary immigration detention facility operated by ICE in Aurora, which houses detainees from across the region.

Growing scrutiny over immigration detention practices

The situation has intensified scrutiny of how immigration detention operates outside traditional detention centers.

Lawmakers say they want clearer answers about where detainees are being held, how long individuals remain in field-office holding rooms, and whether those conditions meet federal detention standards.

As oversight continues, members of Congress say the goal is to ensure immigration enforcement follows the agency’s own rules — and that detainees are not held for extended periods in spaces never meant for detention.

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