The suit, filed in federal court in Denver, seeks to invalidate , which Gov. Jared Polis signed into law last week. The company alleges that only the federal government can dictate how its Aurora detention center is run and that the new law has “the purpose and effect of making it more difficult for federal immigration officers to carry out their responsibilities in Colorado and impose direct burdens and requirements on facilities used in immigration operations.” The company asks a federal judge to strike down the law, and it filed a separate motion seeking to immediately suspend the law, which largely kicked into effect last week.

Advocates have long criticized the conditions at the Aurora facility, and those complaints — alongside concerns that more facilities could open in the state — helped drive HB 1276’s contents. Among other changes, the law requires health officials to inspect the Aurora facility at least every three months to ensure the detention center abides by safety standards related to food and water quality, confinement conditions and medical services.

It requires the facility to give broad access to local officials investigating health outbreaks — a change that comes after Adams County officials admonished Geo for refusing to allow interviews of facility staff during an outbreak investigation earlier this year.

If Geo staff deny inspectors access to the facility, then the state can impose a $50,000 penalty on the company.

Though the 1,530-bed facility typically does hold minor detainees, the new law also prohibits Geo from housing children with unrelated adults, and it requires that the facility have medical and mental health professionals on site at all times.

Geo Group representatives did not immediately respond to an email sent early Monday evening. In its lawsuit, the company argued that it was already subject to congressionally imposed regulations and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which contracted with Geo to run the Aurora center, has ultimate authority over the facility’s access.

In an argument that has proven successful in other states where lawmakers have sought to regulate ICE activity, Geo also argued that the law discriminates against both the company and the federal government by applying standards to detention centers that the state does not levy against other prisons.

“Frequent and unpredictable inspections alone will increase the cost to, and administrative burden on, GEO and the federal government,” the company wrote.

In a statement, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said there were “disturbing reports about unhealthy living conditions” at the Aurora facility. A University of Utah student briefly detained there last year said she was served soggy and moldy food. Last summer, the air conditioning broke or was turned up too high, according to court filings. In a lawsuit filed against ICE last year, another former detainee said he was served spoiled milk.

Lawmakers had previously given state health officials the authority to conduct visits to the facility, and the Adams County Health Department launched an investigation into the facility earlier this year after immigrant advocates alleged that gastrointestinal illness was rampant. The health agency later said that Geo Group refused to allow inspectors to interview facility staff.

“Meeting basic health and safety requirements and being transparent about facility conditions are necessary for the humane treatment of immigrants who are going through civil immigration proceedings,” Weiser wrote.

Standing on a street corner in Denver’s historically Black Five Points neighborhood, a group of activists, elected officials and mothers of those slain by police called on the attorney general to commit to retrying the cases and publicly acknowledge the previous convictions.

“What this system told us yesterday was liberty and justice for all — except Elijah McClain and anyone that looks like him,” said MiDian Shofner, CEO of the .

The appeals court on Thursday reversed homicide convictions for Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper, the former paramedics, ruling that the district court failed to properly instruct the jury on the standard of care applicable to the criminally negligent homicide charge. The three-judge panel upheld Cichuniec’s second-degree assault by drugging conviction.

Attorney General Phil Weiser, in a statement Thursday, said his office would appeal the decision.

McClain, a 23-year-old Black man, died after Aurora police put him in a neck hold and Cooper injected him with an overdose of ketamine, a sedative. He was coming from a convenience store on Aug. 24, 2019, after buying a few cans of iced tea when a 911 caller reported a “sketchy” Black man walking down the street in a ski mask, waving his arms. McClain was unarmed and not suspected of committing any crimes.

His death sparked massive racial justice protests in Colorado in 2020 and spurred state lawmakers to pass a series of criminal justice reform bills. After prosecutors initially declined to file charges against the officers and paramedics, Gov. Jared Polis .

The court’s decision Thursday reaffirmed what Black leaders have long known about America’s justice system, they said during Friday’s news conference. , a 14-year-old Black boy who was lynched in 1955 after offending a white woman in a grocery store, “warned us about what happened to Elijah McClain,” Shofner said. So did , a 15-year-old shot in 1991 in Los Angeles by a convenience store owner.

“Yet we are supposed to believe that we are in a post-racist society,” Shofner said. She recalled the thousands of people who took to the streets in 2020, rallying for racial justice. The problem, Shofner said, “is that we confuse progress for permanence.”

“So I have to ask myself,” she said. “Where did all the good allies go?”

Veronica Seabron knows all too well what McClain’s mother is going through. Her son Jalin, in February 2025, was killed after being shot nine times in the back by a Douglas County deputy. The district attorney declined to file charges against the deputy.

The court’s ruling Thursday “punched me in the stomach,” Seabron said.

“Behind every reopened case is a mother,” she said. “This isn’t just a case number or a headline.”

Seabron wore black, red and white to the news conference — black to remember the lives lost; red to symbolize the bloodshed; and white for the purity of the deceased’s souls.

Shofner said the community stands ready to launch protests once again. The systems, she said, have simply not done enough.

“Our demands are clear; our demands are reasonable,” Shofner said. “We will be watching.”

Re: “Polis vetoes ‘surveillance pricing’ bill,” June 3 news story

Gov. Jared Polis’ veto of the anti-surveillance pricing bill proves once again he’s just a Republican wearing a liberal costume. His excuse? The bill, which would have banned companies from using AI and “big data” to manipulate prices and wages based on your personal circumstances, might “interfere with the free functioning of markets.”

Sure. Because nothing says “free market” like corporate algorithms tracking your every vulnerability to extract maximum blood from your stone. This isn’t capitalism; it����ap corporate sharecropping scaled to the state level.

Consider this hypothetical: A software engineer gets laid off but has some savings. On the way to a job interview, he pulls up to a gas pump. Between inserting his card and pumping, the oil company runs an instant “wealth check.” Seeing his healthy savings balance, the algorithm spikes his price per gallon.

He arrives at the interview. Instead of offering a salary based on market value and experience, the employer scrapes data on his time out of work, his dwindling savings, and his chronic illness. They craft an offer just high enough to keep him from drowning, complete with a health plan that conveniently excludes his condition.

Is this the “free functioning of markets?” No. It����ap an asymmetric data war where citizens are completely outgunned. But hey, as long as Gov. Polis can keep defending the “freedom” of monopolies to pickpocket your data, who cares about the actual people?

For someone who just moved from Florida in part to escape this nonsense, Polis disappoints.

Tom Gawronski, Evergreen

Climate crisis is front-page news

Re: “U.N.: Next five years could smash temperature records,” May 29 news story

Banging the climate crisis drum: Last Friday, The Denver Post relegated a major U.N. climate report to page 12. Ho-hum, the world scientific community keeps banging that old drum about the climate. No big deal. We haven’t gone off the cliff — yet.

But there is a cliff there. Scientists just don’t know when the edge — the tipping point — will be reached.

Have you noticed all the floods, droughts and temperature records we are experiencing (again) this year? Are you concerned about this being a really bad fire year? Drill, baby drill continues as President Trump says we have to produce more oil, while the report concludes that oil and gas is the major contributor to the issue. Ho-hum.

As a committed climate activist, I plan to keep banging that old drum and supporting the rapid transition away from oil and gas to renewable energy.

Marc Alston, Denver

Sarah Woodson for House District 42

Sarah Woodson is a breath of fresh air for the residents of House District 42. A new voice of reason and common sense for everyday Aurorans stressed out by politicians on the far right and left who only support special agendas, not their constituents.

It was 40 years ago that Aurorans trusted another homegrown centrist political newcomer who went door to door to listen to his neighbors and represent them, not the special interest lobbyists that swarm over our Capitol like the miller moths and locusts of summer.

It takes a strong voice from a future leader like Sarah Woodson who listens first to the people and serves them, and not the special political insects. Too many people are again suffering real economic hardships, like how to simply pay for this week’s groceries, while the politicians of the far right and left play off one another and do nothing to help the common people.

It is time again to support a homegrown political newcomer who will serve us, the people, not them, the special interests.

Steve Ruddick, Aurora

Editor’s note: Ruddick is a former Aurora state representative.

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The opens the door for a future request for a federal disaster declaration and aid. It also mandates that state agencies reduce outdoor watering.

“Today I am issuing a statewide drought emergency to support Coloradans, our economy, farmers and ranchers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the face of one of the most severe droughts in Colorado’s recorded history,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a news release announcing the declaration.

“With every county in the state experiencing drought conditions,” he continued, “activating Phase 3 of our Drought Response Plan allows us to better coordinate agencies, prepare for worsening conditions, and support Colorado communities, agriculture, water users, and our environment.”

All of Colorado’s 64 counties are ranked as abnormally dry, and 93% of the state is considered to be in moderate or exceptional drought, according to .

The central mountains are experiencing the most severe drought in the state, the data show. The entirety of Eagle and Pitkin counties, as well as large portions of Rio Blanco, Garfield, Lake, Routt and Grand counties, are considered to be in exceptional drought — the most severe category tracked by the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The state Drought Task Force will continue to meet to coordinate the state’s response to the lack of water. At the local and regional level, many water utilities — including Denver Water — have enacted outdoor watering restrictions for the spring and summer.

The state’s emergency declaration is the most extreme state action outlined in .

The first case reported in the U.S. for several years involves a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, Texas, about 50 miles from the Mexico border, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday. The Texas state veterinarian established a 12-mile quarantine zone that prohibits the movement of any warm-blooded animal without an inspection.

In Colorado, the state veterinarian’s office is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the livestock industry to prepare for potential impacts, particularly involving trade and interstate movement of livestock, the state agriculture department said in a release.

“Colorado has been diligently preparing for the eventuality of a New World Screwworm detection in the United States and we have a response plan ready,” said Maggie Baldwin, the state veterinarian.

While the case in Texas is concerning, there’s no reason to panic, said Erin Karney Spaur, executive director of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.

“Producers should remain vigilant, monitor livestock closely, and contact their veterinarian if they observe unusual wounds or signs of infestation,” she said.

Colorado’s cattle industry has been working with state and federal partners to prepare for the possibility of the New World screwworm fly reaching the U.S., Karney Spaur added.

“I have been briefed and am monitoring the situation very closely and evaluating any next steps needed,” Gov. Jared Polis said.

The Texas case is the first time the New World screwworm fly has been detected in the state since 1966. Recent cases had been confirmed in Mexico as close as 25 miles from the border.

The Associated Press reported that efforts to keep the fly out of the U.S. have included dropping millions of sterile screwworm flies in the area to mate with wild females. The method was used successfully in the past.

The fly is a tropical species that infested cattle during warm weather across the southern U.S. decades ago. The parasite was contained in Panama until late in 2024.

An outbreak occurred in the Florida Keys in September 2016, mostly among wild deer, and was contained early the next year, according to the AP.

The female fly lays its eggs in open wounds or mucous membranes and they hatch into larvae that eat flesh. They can infest livestock, wild mammals, household pets and even humans. Infestations can lead to death if left untreated.

However, officials said the larvae don’t infest food. If properly treated, .

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sgt. Devin A. Seibel, 26, was at Erbil Airbase in Iraq supporting — which is the name of the U.S. fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria — when he died on Sunday, the Department of Defense said in a news release.

The incident is under investigation, federal officials said.

Seibel was originally from Robinson, Texas, and was assigned to the Air Ambulance Company in the 2nd Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson.

In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis said Colorado is deeply grateful for Seibel’s service to the safety and security of the nation.

“Every member of our military makes great sacrifices every day for our safety and security, and Sergeant Seibel served Colorado and our nation with bravery,” Polis said. “I await a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his tragic death.”

Polis will also lower flags to half staff on a date chosen by Seibel’s family.

Members of Colorado’s congressional delegation, including and Rep. Jeff Crank, also posted condolences for Seibel’s family on Thursday.

“His service to our nation will not be forgotten,”

The new vetoes bring Polis’ annual veto total to 12, surpassing the personal single-year record he set in 2025.

The civil rights measure, , was one of two policies considered by lawmakers this year to give Coloradans the ability to sue federal officials.

The other, dubbed the , was broader and would have applied to any federal official who violated a Coloradan’s civil rights. But that bill met fierce resistance by the state’s elected district attorneys, local government groups and Attorney General Phil Weiser, and two Democratic lawmakers joined with Republicans to kill the bill in its first committee hearing in early May.

Polis wrote in his veto letter of SB 5 that he didn’t believe it would withstand legal scrutiny and may lead to weaker protections if it were challenged in court.

“We have seen too many examples of senseless deaths and constitutional rights violations during immigration enforcement operations and raids in recent years, and there is an urgent need for federal immigration agents to be held accountable for these lawless actions,” Polis wrote.

Though Polis and his staff were supportive of the No Kings Act during its brief journey in the legislature, his office publicly distanced him from the bill — claiming that the governor was merely “open” to it — amid the intense opposition with which it was greeted.

In his , Polis specifically blamed “overly intense and misleading lobbying from local governments and public entities” of the No Kings Act for its death during the legislative process. Polis wrote that the No Kings Act would have both passed legal scrutiny and “provided protections for Coloradans against all manner of constitutional violation by federal agents.”

SB 5 was both narrower and potentially more legally unsound than the No Kings Act. Supporters of the No Kings Act argued that because SB 5 only applied to some officials, it would likely be struck down by federal courts — as was a California bill that sought to prevent immigration agents from wearing masks.

SB 5’s demise is the latest example of the disconnect between Colorado Democrats’ identification of policy issues and their ability to address them through legislation. Democratic lawmakers expressed anger and alarm at the scale of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year, and they introduced four bills in response.

But two of those measures, including the No Kings Act, were swiftly killed in committee. SB 5 has been vetoed, and the final bill, , was significantly amended at the behest of Polis’ office. That measure, which is still awaiting the governor’s signature, now largely focuses on increasing inspections of immigrant detention centers.

Similarly, none of the three affordability bills that Democrats touted at a news conference earlier this year will be signed into law. One was never introduced, another died in its first committee, and a third, to prohibit so-called surveillance pricing, was vetoed Tuesday.

Also on Wednesday, Polis vetoed , a ban on so-called swipe fees on sales taxes. The measure faced an intense consumer-focused ad campaign that said the bill becoming law would jeopardize credit card perks like airline miles and points. In his , Polis questioned whether the proposal would survive lawsuits, provide any tangible benefit or even be workable for Colorado businesses.

“This would be a Colorado-specific carve-out to the national and global integrated payments system and it is unclear to me how the state would implement it,” Polis wrote. “… This could create chaos for our business environment, our tourism-dependent economy and consumers that want to make purchases easily and efficiently.”

Rounding out his vetoes Wednesday, Polis nixed That measure would have expanded the types of cancer that could be considered occupational diseases for firefighters and allowed the treatments to be covered by worker’s compensation insurance. The change only applied to firefighters employed by local governments — not state employees.

The measure faced opposition from city and county governments and the Colorado State Fire Chiefs, a professional organization. The Colorado Professional Firefighters Association supported it. The measure would have lowered the standard for coverage to a preponderance of evidence that the firefighter became sick due to their work rather than the higher standard of clear and convincing evidence.

Polis wrote in that the bill would have diminished incentives for fire departments to participate in the , which replaced state workers’ compensation for firefighters’ cancer claims.

“The trust provides expedited access to benefits, allows for new cancers to be added outside of the legislative process, and requires no proof that the cancer is work-related,” Polis wrote. “Under the trust, the vast majority of claims are approved sooner, more predictably, and with less litigation.”

Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat who sponsored SB 184, said the measure was needed to increase firefighters’ access to workers’ compensation, especially with the links between their work and cancer rates.

“This bill was just about making sure that when firefighters get sick based on the service they’re providing to our communities, they get the benefits they deserve and they’re not caught up in a bureaucratic system,” Mabrey said.

Polis has until June 12 to sign any bills passed during this year’s session, reject them or allow them to pass into law without his signature.

Polis also signed a slew of bills Wednesday, including:

• , which requires operating systems for personal computers to verify their users’ ages before allowing access to age-controlled software
• , which will require ballot titles for citizen initiatives that earmark revenues to state what programs and services might be cut as a result
• , which allows the state to count a recent over-refund of tax dollars due under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights against future budgets (and immediately drew a lawsuit threat from a conservative activist organization, Advance Colorado)
• , which bans meatpacking plants from deducting the cost of personal protective equipment from employee pay and from unreasonably denying employees access to restrooms during work time

Tell us what you think about this story

Re: “Peters released from prison after Polis reduces sentence,” June 2 news story

Now we know what a fool Gov. Jared Polis was by letting Tina Peters dupe him into thinking that she is sorry for tampering with our elections. Within hours of her release, she was on Steve Bannon’s MAGA program claiming that she was a victim for pointing out flaws in our election system. The only flaw was Polis letting her get away with spending only about 600 days of a nine-year sentence in prison.

Joe McGloin, Sheridan

Sanctuary city? Let the voters decide

Re: “Trump threatens ‘sanctuary city’ airports,” May 29 news story

It’s time to put Denver’s “sanctuary city” status to a public vote. Let’s have an open debate and decide.

Gretchen Foley, Denver

Appreciation for a family that appreciates our lands

Re: “Aspen family donates land near Independence Pass,” June 2 news story

Residents and visitors on both sides of Independence Pass owe a debt of gratitude to the Amy Margerum Berg family. Their generosity has resulted in preserving 235 acres of alpine terrain located along the slopes of Mount Champion in the San Isabel National Forest. While the Champion Mine property is out of view from most passersby, it����ap located just a little over a mile from Highway 82. It provides a home for bighorn sheep and is steeped in Colorado history.

It����ap particularly appropriate that the donation was made in honor of Amy’s late husband, Chuck McLean. Chuck loved this part of Colorado. He was always eager to share his enthusiasm for this landscape and its historical significance. In the 40 years or so since I first met Chuck, he demonstrated his commitment to conservation. He took on questions as broad as how the marine life in the Santa Barbara Channel could be protected from unfettered oil and gas development, to how climber access to La Plata Peak could best be preserved.

I had the opportunity to participate in a number of hikes that Chuck led into the remote backcountry mining sites on the eastern slopes of Independence Pass near his home at the historic stage stop of Everett. Chuck reveled in calling himself the mayor of the townsite, including its numerous log cabins, all in various states of falling back to the earth.
With this donation of key parcels of land, his legacy won’t be forgotten.

Phil Overeynder, Aspen

Baseball is more than wins vs. losses

Re: “Colorado sportsnation turns its lonely eyes to you, Rockies,” May 28 letter to the editor

Due to marriages, relocations, etc., I have been a Milwaukee Braves (yes, Milwaukee) fan, a St. Louis Cardinals fan, a Chicago Cubs fan, and, presently, a Colorado Rockies fan. I purchased an online subscription again to watch this young Rockies team.

There is a lot to be said about following a team from mediocrity to greatness. To me, the satisfying part of being a sports fan is following that rise, not how many wins vs. losses, not whether I covered my bets, etc.

Let’s slow down the pace of our lives and truly take in the great game of baseball.

Karen Lambert, Westminster

Tuned out by CBS

I have lived in the Denver area for 35 years. I have always favored Channel 4 among the various television options here. CBS always seemed to be serious and credible.  Now, with the cancellation of Stephen Colbert, the degradation of “60 Minutes,” the heavy-handed editing of “CBS News Sunday Morning,” and sloppy production and silly coverage on the “CBS Evening News,” there is not much reason to stick with Channel 4.

Hopefully, folks will continue to tune in to the Channel 4 10 p.m. news so they can seamlessly follow on to Byron Allen! But not me.

I wish the folks at KCNC-4 good luck being the plaything of David Ellison.

Scott Bridgford, Highlands Ranch

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Attorneys with the filed a motion Tuesday to join with Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly and 23rd Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler in their January lawsuit against Gov. Jared Polis and other state officials over the law.

The local officials argued that the state law unduly limits law enforcement officers’ discretion when crime victims apply for , a visa set aside for non-citizen victims of crime who cooperate with law enforcement and meet other conditions.

The Department of Justice called Colorado’s law “deeply unfair” and argued in the motion to intervene Tuesday that the federal government’s law supersedes state law.

“The United States has an obvious interest relating to the integrity of the federal U-Visa program; that interest could be impaired or impeded by a ruling in Colorado’s favor,” the motion states.

Crime victims seeking U visas must have their applications certified by a law enforcement agency — that is, local officials must state that the applicants were victims of qualifying crimes and that they are helping in the investigation or prosecution of those crimes.

Federal immigration officials make the final decisions on whether or not visa applications are granted. Under federal law, victims seeking U visas must show that they have suffered physical or mental abuse due to a qualifying crime that happened in the U.S., they possess information about that crime, and they have been helpful or will be helpful to the prosecution.

In 2021, Colorado legislators changed state law to require that state officials consider only a victim’s helpfulness and whether they were subject to a qualifying crime when deciding whether to certify a victim’s application for a U visa. The state law also requires that officials consider a victim to be helpful unless there is documentation that the victim refused to cooperate with the case.

That shift undermines federal goals for the U visa program, the DOJ said in a news release Tuesday.

“Congress created a scheme to incentivize cooperation with law enforcement while relying on local official discretion to ensure that only deserving applicants receive U visas,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in the news release. “But Colorado is favoring the unhelpful alien over the crime victim who helps promote public safety and order. Federal law does not tolerate that backwards policy.”

No more than 10,000 U visas can be issued in any given year nationwide, creating a competitive process to receive one.

Between 2019 and 2025, 55 Colorado law enforcement agencies and district attorneys’ offices reported receiving 1,368 requests for U-visa certifications, according to records kept by the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice. The agencies signed off on 1,118 of those requests — approving about 82%.

On Tuesday, Polis rejected , which would’ve prohibited companies from using the vast amounts of data collected on Coloradans to set individualized prices on goods like groceries and electronics. The bill also would have barred companies like Uber and Lyft from using that information to set differing wages for drivers.

Supporters of the bill, which was passed with support only from Democratic lawmakers, argued that the technology was used to set prices at the highest level a consumer was willing to pay — or the lowest wage that a worker was willing to accept — based on that person’s location and other characteristics.

Polis had already signaled his skepticism of the bill because, his office said, it might “interfere with the free functioning of markets.”

In his veto statement Tuesday, he echoed objections raised by the business and tech communities, which opposed the bill en masse, that HB-1210 was too broad and would prevent those companies from offering lower prices and discounts to consumers. The bill carved out discount and loyalty programs, but Polis said he “found little comfort” in those exemptions.

What Colorado bills are becoming laws?

"I am concerned that instead of advancing a policy to specifically target clearly egregious price gouging practices," he wrote, "this broader framework will inadvertently capture innocuous uses of technology that in no way harms -- and indeed benefits -- consumers and workers."

The bill was backed by progressive organizations and consumer groups. Amid growing interest among policymakers in regulating the practice, it would've been the strongest regulation of its kind in the United States.

"Everybody is talking about how concerned they are with the rising cost of living, and this bill was about preventing companies from spying on us to price gouge us," Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat who sponsored HB-1210, said Tuesday. "I don't know how anyone can credibly make the case that it's a good thing for the biggest companies in the world to know everything about us in how they set our prices."

HB-1210 was the latest in a slew of pro-tech and pro-business vetoes by Polis in recent years, and it was the only one of Democrats' three marquee affordability measures to pass the legislature this year.

Its demise came almost exactly 12 months after Polis vetoed another Democratic priority bill, 2025's . That measure would have prohibited landlords from using algorithmic software to set home rental prices, a practice that cost Denver renters more than $1,600 per year, according to a study by the Biden administration.

On Tuesday, Polis also vetoed , which would've reformed parts of the state's arbitration rules, and , which sought to curb the distribution of single-use serviceware by restaurants and delivery services. The latter bill would have required them to provide single-use utensils, napkins, condiment packets, straws, chopsticks and other items to customers only upon request.

Tuesday's rejections bring Polis' veto total for the year to nine, two shy of his single-year record. He has until mid-June to sign or reject bills, or to allow them to pass into law without his signature.