Aurora lawmaker says Buckley won't be immigrant detention center
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Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow on Monday said Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora will not be used to detain undocumented immigrants and instead will function as a coordination center for federal law enforcement operations.
Why it matters: The move establishes Aurora as a local base of operations to fulfill Trump's pledge to deport people living in the country illegally months after drawing attention to the city during a campaign stop.
State of play: The Aurora lawmaker, a Democrat, spoke to the press just outside the base to clarify reports suggesting it would be used as a temporary holding center as part of President Trump's mass deportation plan.
- Crow said he wasn't told how many federal immigration officers will work out of the base.
Zoom in: Crow visited the base after failing to receive "good information" from the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security last week as he sought details about their plans for the base, he said.
- Crow told reporters on Monday he spoke to DHS personnel, including ICE criminal investigators, at the base.
The intrigue: Crow added that nothing he saw while touring the base suggests it will be used to detain or house anyone; he said he got no indication from federal authorities that would change imminently.
- He used the opportunity to criticize Trump's deportation plan, saying "law-abiding people" including mixed-status families and local business owners shouldn't be targeted. Crow added that violent criminals should be arrested, however.
Between the lines: A spokesperson for the ICE Denver field office on Monday did not return multiple messages for comment.
The other side: Immigrants rights advocates decried the use of Buckley to advance Trump's plan.
- Laura Lunn, with the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, said in a statement that the president is "directing resources to terrorize our community."
What's next: Crow said he plans to continue monitoring how the base is used.