The Aurora City Council passed two ordinances requiring periodic inspections of and more regulated disease reporting from detention facilities in the city, including the GEO Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

Both ordinances passed in a final vote Monday night with “no” votes from Councilmembers Francoise Bergan, Angela Lawson, Curtis Gardner and Stephanie Hancock.

The two ordinances, sponsored by Councilmember Gianina Horton, specifically point to Aurora’s GEO ICE detention center but apply to all detention centers in the city’s boundaries.

The first requires periodic inspections of detention facilities. Inspections can be random and unannounced, and will include sanitation, lighting, noise and temperature.

In an earlier council meeting, Horton said the ordinance is a response to numerous reports of poor living conditions inside the GEO-operated facility.

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.

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

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 second ordinance changes the city code to require all detention facilities to report health hazards to the local government.

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

It 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 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 will be able to legally enforce the new rules in court, City Attorney Pete Schulte said at a previous meeting.

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 regroup to see where we are and what the legalities are,” he said.

With the new language in place, the city can 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.

Both GEO and ICE declined to comment on the changes.