AURORA, Colo. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will use Buckley Space Force Base facilities to process and temporarily house detained immigrants, military officials confirmed to Scripps News Denver on Tuesday.
In a statement, a military spokesperson said USNORTHCOM provided facilities at Buckley Space Force Base, at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, beginning Monday.
ICE will set up a "temporary operations center, staging area, and a temporary holding location for the receiving, holding, and processing" of detainees. According to the military spokesperson, the facilities will be manned by ICE senior leaders, special agents, and analysts, as well as members of other federal law enforcement agencies.
The news comes after Denver7 Investigates learned of significant ICE operations that could take place in Aurora as early as Thursday.
When asked about the potential ICE activity, a City of Aurora spokesman sent a statement to Scripps News Denver, saying it is not involved in federal operations:
"The city, including the Aurora Police Department, are aware of news reporting about federal immigration enforcement plans in Aurora this week. We are not involved in the development and activation of such plans. As we have said numerous times previously, Colorado state law prohibits local governments from engaging in typical immigration-specific enforcement or detention. We focus on enforcing state and local law. As we always have, we will work with our federal partners and follow federal law and directives as they apply to our community and as we are allowed. We will always follow state and federal law."
The Aurora Police Department deferred to the city's statement.
