Read our article Combat and Resist ICE Terror here.
A GEO Group Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contractor shot protester Emma Landis outside the Aurora Colorado Detention Facility on July 16. Landis was protesting deplorable conditions in the ICE facility following a tuberculosis outbreak affecting at least 12 detainees.
Landis shared with monopoly media how Brandon Booth, off-duty GEO Group employee and ICE contractor “had his gun in his bag… yelling at us… as soon as I had my back turned, that was when he shot, and it hit my foot… Instead of calling anyone or any of those people putting any effort into helping me, they all left. I had to call 911 myself.”
ICE contractor Booth has since been arrested and booked on probable cause of attempted second-degree murder, first degree assault, attempted first degree assault, felony menacing, and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon. He has also been put on administrative leave by GEO Group.
GEO Group is the largest private contractor for ICE in the United States, and is estimated to cover over 40% of beds for detainees. Negligent conditions leading to serious bio-hazardous outbreaks is nothing new for the monopoly contractor. GEO Group was investigated in 2022 for not adequately preventing the spread of COVID-19 in its facilities. Recently at the Aurora GEO Group Facility, dozens of detainees have been petitioning because of the facility’s refusal to provide adequate medical treatment to detainees (pictures attached).
The current Acting Director of ICE, David J. Venturella, was previously an executive at GEO Group. The prison monopoly made more than $250 million in profit in 2025, about a 700% increase over the previous year.
After three days in the hospital, Emma Landis returned to the scene of her shooting to speak to a crowd of protesters picketing the Aurora Detention Center. The shooting brought protesters in much greater numbers. Landis emphasized that she did not want her shooting to overshadow the negligent tuberculosis outbreak and horrible conditions affecting the detainees.
Landis’s friend created a GoFundMe to help cover medical bills and legal fees.
Image: The ICE processing center in Aurora, CO. Credit: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
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