Man arrested after protester shot at Colorado ICE centre

A company employee working at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) migrant processing center in Colorado has been arrested on suspicion of shooting a woman during a protest outside the facility. The incident occurred Thursday evening at the ICE Processing Center operated by GEO Group in Aurora, a Denver suburb.

Police identified the suspect as Brandon Booth, 42, an employee of GEO Group. He was arrested and booked into jail on multiple charges, including attempted second-degree murder and assault. The victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to her lower body and received treatment at a local hospital. A GEO Group spokesperson confirmed awareness of the incident involving an off-duty employee and stated he has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, with the company pledging full cooperation with law enforcement.

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We are aware that an off-duty Aurora ICE Processing Center employee was involved in a shooting incident. This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.

The shooting took place during a demonstration where protesters had reportedly blocked the facility's entrance. According to police, Booth fired a single shot from his personal handgun toward two female protesters after a verbal confrontation. The protesters were taking pictures of vehicles before walking away when the shot was fired. Booth then fled the scene in his vehicle but was apprehended by police a short distance away.

This event follows closely on the heels of two separate fatal shootings by ICE agents during traffic stops on July 7 in Texas and July 13 in Maine. In both those cases, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that the individuals killed were not the intended targets of the immigration enforcement operations. These incidents, along with ongoing criticism of conditions at ICE detention and processing centers managed by contractors like GEO Group, have intensified scrutiny of ICE operations.

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We remain committed to ensuring an ethical, thorough, objective, and comprehensive review of this case. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated in Aurora. Constitutional rights are a pivotal part of a just society - violence is not.