ICE Seeking Security

Federal immigration officials are seeking armed guards for numerous regions in Colorado.

A government document found on the Federal Business Opportunities Web site shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is requesting information for a security contract that is estimated to be worth of up to 45 million. According to the request, ICE will need guard services for approximately 200 posts in the Denver Federal Center, Fort Collins, Boulder, Greeley, and Western Slope areas.

Some positions will require 24/7 operations, and ICE is offering various start dates for interested contractors:

Basic contract period may begin on or about April 1, 2008 and end September 30, 2008, 1st Option Year October 1, 2008 – September 30, 2009, 2nd October 1, 2009 – September 30, 2010, 3rd October 1, 2010 – September 30, 2011, 4th October 1, 2011 ? 30 September 2012.

The government estimates the contact value will range form 35 million to 45 million, and more information should become available after a draft proposal is written by federal officials.

Erin Rosa was born in Spain and raised in Colorado Springs. She is a freelance writer currently living in Denver. Rosa's work has been featured in a variety of news outlets including the Huffington Post, Democracy Now!, and the Rocky Mountain Chronicle, an alternative-weekly in Northern Colorado where she worked as a columnist covering the state legislature. Rosa has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on lobbying and woman's health issues. She was also tapped with a rare honorable mention award by the Newspaper Guild-CWA's David S. Barr Award in 2008--only the second such honor conferred in its nine-year history--for her investigative series covering the federal government's Supermax prison in the state. Rosa covers the labor community, corrections, immigration and government transparency matters. She can be reached at erosa@www.coloradoindependent.com.