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 Denver7 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 Denver7 Investigates, 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.
In a statement shared with Denver7 News Wednesday, a spokeswoman from the governor's office said it was Gov. Polis' understanding "that not state resources are being used to support any immigration enforcement actions being planned, or at Buckley," and added that the governor has been clear that "Colorado will continue working with federal law enforcement agencies in apprehending dangerous criminals to make Colorado safer."
The rest of the statement from the governor's office follows:
"Colorado is not a sanctuary state. When it comes to criminal investigations or prosecutions, local law enforcement should be working with federal partners, in accordance with state and federal law, to fight crime and respond when asked. The Governor’s office has no knowledge of the Administration’s plans as it relates to immigration enforcement, and he encourages the federal government to be transparent and focus federal action on criminals and not those who are law-abiding workers who play critical roles in construction, agriculture, and more. This will only hurt our economy and drive up the cost of groceries, homes, and other everyday goods.”
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