AURORA | Inmates at Aurora’s immigrant detention center say they were sickened over the weekend by what they assumed to be natural gas odors and a possible leak, but spokespersons for the private prison say the reports were a malicious prank from outside the facility.
A current GEO ICE detention center inmate in Aurora, speaking with a reporter for El Comercio de Colorado news, said that over the weekend, he was exposed to what smelled like natural gas in the C Pod of the facility at 3130 Oakland St.
“On Friday it was (faint),” said the inmate, who is not being identified for fear of reprisal. The recorded conversation was shared with the Sentinel. “I didn’t feel it as much. Saturday was terribly awful. It was 9 PM. I started feeling a strong smell. Very strong. Headaches, vomiting, and also feeling like (I) could faint, and a lot of eye pain.”
The inmate said they and other inmates were sickened by the smell each evening, “before they locked us in.”
Aurora Fire Rescue officials said they received three calls from outside the detention center over the weekend reporting gas odors.
The first call was at about 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The second call was reported at about midnight on Sunday, according to Aurora Fire Rescue spokesperson Eric Hurst. Another report was made at about noon Monday.
“All three incidents were reported by people who were not on site,” Hurst said. “During the incidents the facility staff did not report any problems or occupants feeling sick.”
Across the weekend, gas odors were also reported near the GEO ICE facility, one a few blocks northwest of the detention center, Hurst said.
“Xcel (Energy) made contact with a business using a cleaning solution that smelled similar to propane gas and our crew detected the odor outside GEO hours later,” Hurst said.
Xcel officials told fire officials there was no gas hazard outside of the GEO ICE facility at the time of the complaints.
Adams County Health Department officials said they did not receive any reports of a gas leak at the facility or sickened inmates, according to Adams County Health Department spokesperson Jennifer Lucero-Alvarez.
A spokesperson for a local inmate support group, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals against inmates being kept inside the facility, said that inmates in other pods also reported the strong odor.
The person said that inmates were told the odor was coming from outside the building and GEO ICE officials were dismissive of any threat.
Officials for ICE Denver Public Affairs said the complaints to local utility and fire officials all came from outside the facility and were malicious.
“Reports of a gas leak at the Denver Contract Detention Facility are false,” ICE officials said in a statement to the Sentinel. “ Over the weekend, a caller from outside the facility reported a gas leak in what appears to have been a hoax. No gas leak was found, and no evacuations were ordered. This appears to be another attempt to disrupt operations and undermine ICE’s mission to uphold the nation’s immigration laws.”
Inmate activists said an outside agency should interview and screen inmates for possible exposure to natural gas or other substances.
Staff officials from the offices of Aurora Democratic Congressperson Jason Crow and Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet inspected the facility on July 27, remarking in a report that they were unable to glean from GEO ICE officials how many inmates were inside the facility.
They did remark, however, that there were ventilation and cooling problems inside Pod C, which is where inmates said they were exposed to the gas odors.
“While touring the pod in the C wing, it was noticeably warmer,” congressional staff inspectors said in their report. “GEO and ICE staff mentioned that they were actively working on fixing the AC. Staff observed fans and portable AC, coolers, and water in the pod. The wall thermometer showed 80 degrees Fahrenheit.”
The congressional report also said that GEO ICE officials specifically said there were no active cases of tuberculosis among inmates at the facility.
A reported active case of the disease in June has created turmoil across the region as local, state and congressional officials continue to try and force GEO ICE officials to disclose information about the infectious disease case.