Military officials have opened Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to process and temporarily house detained immigrants.
U.S. Northern Command opened the base to ICE on Monday at the request of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to an emailed statement from military officials.
ICE set up a “temporary operations center, staging area and a temporary holding location for the receiving, holding and processing” of detainees, military officials said in the statement.
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat whose congressional district includes Aurora, said Wednesday he was “deeply concerned” about Buckley being used for mass-deportation efforts, adding that it “dishonors the service of our troops.”
“Let me be clear: If someone, regardless of immigration status, is committing violent crimes, they have no place in our communities,” Crow said in an emailed statement. “However, the president’s mass deportations are threatening to go after our neighbors, family members, business owners and friends in order to create a narrative that most immigrants are violent criminals. This is simply not true.”
Crow said Aurora and the military can expect his “vigorous oversight” and that he is prepared to oppose the decision in Congress.
The news comes after national media reported ICE raids could start in Aurora as early as Thursday and federal officials said more than 40 undocumented immigrants were arrested in an Adams County raid over the weekend. But on Wednesday, NBC News reported, based on unnamed sources, that ICE had postponed its Thursday plans in Aurora because of publicity this week.
For now, Buckley will be staffed by ICE officials, federal agents and analysts, according to Northern Command’s statement. Military personnel will not be involved in any ICE raids.
ICE also uses a detention center in Aurora that is operated by private prison company the GEO Group under a federal contract. That facility can house more than 1,500 people.
The move to use Buckley is receiving pushback from the Colorado Rapid Response Network, an organization that reports ICE activity, and other immigrant-rights groups.
“The Administration’s announcement it will utilize Buckley Airforce Base is an affront to our constitution and an insult to the commitment service members have made to protect it,” CRRN wrote in a Wednesday statement.
The organization said that, over the last week, federal immigration officials were seen on patrol in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Larimer County, with several residents detained in Pueblo, Larimer and La Plata counties. It also cited reports of recent enforcement activity in Brighton.
“Our state is safest when all members of the community can participate and access the resources they need for their families, when local governments do not engage in immigration policy enforcement,” said the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition’s Gladis Ibarra, “and that’s what our policies and laws ensure.”
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