WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun offering voluntary testing for the novel coronavirus at the Aurora Detention Facility, which is currently experiencing an outbreak of the new disease.
Voluntary testing for all ICE detainees at the facility began Tuesday, officials said in a news release. Results are expected within a week.
“In the face of this pandemic, expanding testing for detainees is another proactive step ICE is taking to safeguard those in our custody,” said Henry Lucero, executive associate director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The ICE detention facility in Aurora is currently experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 with 13 cases among detainees reported by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
ICE officials said they plan to evaluate COVID-19 testing at the Aurora facility as well as the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, where voluntary testing began June 2, before expanding to other ICE detention facilities over the next several months.
