(U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ended its specialized transgender care and protection policies at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility, a policy rescission that advocates say removes the last guardrails for some of the most vulnerable people in immigration custody.) The rollback, confirmed in early 2025, replaces written standards for housing, medical access, and safety with case‑by‑case decisions that detainees and lawyers describe as opaque and harmful.
The shift has sparked formal complaints, calls for congressional oversight, and renewed demands that the government stop detaining transgender and nonbinary immigrants at the privately operated complex outside Denver.
What advocates allege
Advocacy groups filed a detailed civil rights complaint on April 9, 2025, describing:
- Medical neglect, including missed or delayed hormone therapy and mental health care.
- Prolonged isolation framed as “protective custody.”
- Day‑to‑day humiliation, from confiscated hygiene products to hostile slurs.
- Threats or actual placement in segregation for seeking help.
ICE confirmed in April that ten people in Aurora had self‑identified as transgender, even though the formerly specialized unit was built to hold up to 87. To critics, removing explicit protections signals that conditions will grow harsher, not safer.
“The end of explicit protections signals that conditions will grow harsher, not safer.” — Advocates summarizing the effect of the policy rescission
ICE response and detainee experiences
ICE spokesperson Steve Kotecki said in April the agency is “committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments,” and that every transgender person’s case would be reviewed individually.
Yet detainees and lawyers describe a different reality:
- Requests for hormone therapy go unanswered or delayed.
- Dorms are locked for up to 23 hours a day.
- Asking for help can lead to segregation or threats of it.
- Medical visits are reported as rare, short, or delayed by weeks.
Those conditions, critics argue, make ICE’s stated commitment ring hollow.
Background: prior guidance and what changed
The rollback reverses practices rooted in a 2015 ICE memorandum that required staff and contractors to:
- Respect a person’s affirmed gender identity on intake forms.
- Provide access to gender‑affirming health care, including hormone therapy.
- Consider safety when making housing placement decisions.
Advocates acknowledged the 2015 guidance was not perfect, but it set a minimum standard. With its effective cancellation at Aurora, transgender and nonbinary people in detention now face less predictability around basic care and placement.
The civil rights complaint
Filed by the National Immigration Project, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, and the American Immigration Council, the complaint details:
- Officers who mock detainees and confiscate toiletries.
- Denials of simple items (e.g., properly sized undergarments).
- Missed or delayed medical appointments.
- People abandoning immigration cases due to the psychological pressure of confinement and hostility.
The complaint was lodged with multiple oversight bodies inside DHS, including offices that receive misconduct reports and track detention conditions. The groups demand restoration of enforceable safeguards and call for an end to detention of transgender and nonbinary people at Aurora.
Housing and the “trans pod”
The Aurora Contract Detention Facility, run by GEO Group, once promoted a dedicated “trans pod” as a safer option. Current and former detainees told lawyers the unit often functions as a form of separation rather than protection:
- Dorm doors remain closed most of the day.
- Access to recreation and services is limited.
- “Protective custody” often resembles punitive isolation.
Advocates stress that where a specialized unit exists with capacity (design for 87; 10 currently identified), that capacity could be used to house people together—rather than resort to solitary‑like confinement.
Broader patterns and analysis
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, when detailed rules give way to discretionary calls:
- People in custody often experience delayed care.
- Housing assignments become confusing and inconsistent.
- Lockdowns are used to manage risk rather than reduce harm.
That pattern conflicts with ICE’s stated goal of a safe, secure, and humane environment.
Human, legal, and procedural stakes
Human consequences outlined by advocates include:
- Worsening mental and physical health from delayed care and isolation.
- Inability to prepare legal defenses, missed appointments, and compromised testimony.
- Some detainees opting for deportation to escape confinement, not because their claims lack merit but because conditions are unbearable.
Legal and oversight avenues:
- Filing civil rights complaints with:
- Department’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
- Immigration Detention Ombudsman
- Inspector General
- ICE’s internal watchdog
- Congressional oversight and hearings
- Litigation seeking damages or systemic reforms
Advocates argue these processes are necessary but slow; people inside detention cannot always wait months or years for relief.
ICE oversight claims vs. advocates’ concerns
ICE maintains it:
- Follows national detention standards and facility audits.
- Trains staff and reviews individual placement decisions.
Advocates counter that:
- Layers of oversight have not produced meaningful change at Aurora.
- Without clear, enforceable rules, access to transgender care depends on the discretion of staff and contractors.
- Protective housing too often functions as solitary confinement, worsening mental health rapidly.
What advocates want
- Restore enforceable, written standards for transgender‑affirming care and housing.
- Use alternatives to detention—parole, bond, and monitoring programs—as default for people at heightened risk.
- Immediate releases where safety cannot be guaranteed in custody.
- Swift DHS investigations with specific timelines for care, identity‑congruent placement, and strict limits on isolation.
Reporting and next steps
Detainees and their representatives can file reports to the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. DHS posts instructions and contact details at: https://www.dhs.gov/crcl.
Advocates say filing creates an important record, even if on‑the‑ground change is often slow. Congressional and legal scrutiny is likely to increase after the Aurora policy change. The central debate remains:
- Can a detention system designed for control provide dignity and care to people who face outsized risks?
Advocates say no, pointing to locked doors, delayed treatment, and the chilling shadow of solitary. ICE insists it meets standards through individual reviews. The new complaint aims to close the gap between words and lived experience by pushing for enforceable rules and immediate measures to reduce harm.
This Article in a Nutshell
In early 2025 ICE rescinded specialized transgender care and protection policies at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility, replacing written standards for housing, medical access, and safety with discretionary, case-by-case decisions. Advocates filed a civil rights complaint on April 9, 2025, documenting missed or delayed hormone therapy, prolonged isolation framed as protective custody, confiscation of hygiene items, hostile slurs, and threats of segregation for seeking help. ICE says each transgender detainee’s case will be reviewed individually, but detainees report locked dorms up to 23 hours, rare medical visits, and delayed care. The rollback reverses guidance rooted in a 2015 ICE memorandum that required respect for gender identity and access to gender-affirming health care. Advocacy groups demand restoration of enforceable standards, use of alternatives to detention, immediate releases where safety cannot be guaranteed, and swift DHS investigations. The complaint was lodged with multiple oversight bodies and is likely to prompt increased congressional and legal scrutiny as advocates argue that discretionary practices will worsen conditions for vulnerable detainees.
