The Aurora City Council on Monday night advanced proposed changes to the city code that would require all detention facilities to report health hazards to the local government, though whether the new mandates can be enforced remains unclear.

The rule change — which would apply to detention facilities like the GEO U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Aurora — requires them to report any health, safety or welfare hazards on the premises upon request.

It also requires the city to request health and safety information from detention facilities monthly, and mandates facilities to grant police and fire personnel access to respond to calls for service and local criminal investigations.

The proposal also allows the city to take legal action against companies like GEO if city officials are not given the information or access.

Aurora has an existing ordinance requiring GEO and other detention facilities to report disease outbreaks to Aurora Fire Rescue to keep first responders safe. The additions proposed by Councilmember Gianina Horton on Monday would clarify what information needs to be reported and the frequency of reports. The changes also outline a penalty for noncompliance.

Because the GEO’s ICE facility is a federal facility run by an independent contractor, it is unclear if the city could legally enforce the new rules in court, City Attorney Pete Schulte said Monday.

However, Schulte said, it puts on paper what the city’s expectations are and gives GEO the opportunity to voluntarily comply with those rules.

“Until we’re not provided access, then we can re-group to see where we are and what the legalities are,” he said.

With the new language in place, the city would be able to file a criminal charge against GEO. If that were to happen, there would likely be an argument about federal preemption, “but that’s not something we could currently do without this ordinance change,” Schulte said.

GEO did not respond to a request for comment on the city code changes.

It’s the latest proposal that deals with immigration matters in Colorado, a state that has embraced so-called “sanctuary laws,” which limit or prohibit cooperation with federal authorities on enforcing immigration laws.

At the state Capitol this year, House representatives also voted along party lines to pass a bill establishing additional inspection requirements for immigration detention centers and expanding civil liabilities related to sharing information with federal immigration authorities. Notably, House Bill 1276 permits the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to require ICE detention facilities to comply with certain health and safety standards and pay for environmental impact studies.

Horton, the Aurora councilmember, said the proposed changes in her city were initiated by reports from organizations claiming potential health issues within the GEO facility that the latter did not report to the city.

A report released in March by a coalition of nonprofit organizations around the metro Denver area claimed a variety of inadequate living conditions and medical concerns at the GEO facility.

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the claims of poor conditions “false,” saying all detainees are provided proper meals, medical treatment, hygiene products and opportunities to communicate with lawyers and family members.

The report was put together by Housekeys Action Network Denver, Casa de Paz, American Friends Service Committee and Aurora Unidos CSO.

The groups said they gathered complaint forms between September and February and conducted interviews with people formerly or currently detained in the facility. Top claims included poor or no treatment for medical conditions, insufficient nutrition, poor sleeping conditions and inhumane treatment.

“If there were to be any public health crisis within the detention facility, it would directly impact our residents,” Horton said Monday. “This ordinance is making sure we have a code that will hopefully ensure the detention center reports any reportable diseases and provides some transparency to make sure those detained in our city, and those who aren’t, are safe.”

Councilmembers Francoise Bergan, Stephanie Hancock and Angela Lawson disagreed with the code changes, saying they could cost taxpayers unnecessary money for health claims that have not been proven.

“This is clearly political,” Hancock said. “This is a veiled attempt to try to attack the ICE facility.”

The code changes will go to an official vote at the next regular council meeting on June 1.