Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be using a U.S. military base in Aurora, Colorado, to process immigrants illegally in the U.S., who are about to be flown out of the country and deported by the Trump administration. U.S. Northern Command said ICE began using Buckley Space Force Base on Monday, Jan. 27.
How will officials use the base?
The Northern Command oversees deportation flights and the deployment of troops to the U.S. southern border. On Jan. 22, the Pentagon began using military aircraft to fly deportees back to their countries of origin, including Guatemala and Columbia.
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What is Aurora’s connection to the immigration debate?
Aurora became a focal point of the Trump campaign during the 2024 election. The campaign alleged that members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, had taken control over entire apartment complexes there. The Trump campaign also claimed the gang was committing crimes in other parts of the city.
What happened in the Bronx?
Fox 5 New York reports that during immigration raids in the Bronx on Tuesday, Jan. 28, agents arrested 26-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, a suspected leader of Tren de Aragua.
Zambrano-Pacheco is wanted for various crimes in Aurora. Those crimes include kidnapping, extortion and gun possession.
Where does the city of Denver stand on the issue?
Aurora is about 10 miles from Denver, a sanctuary city for migrants. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has vowed to shield migrants from ICE raids. He has repeatedly said Denver will not help the federal government round up undocumented immigrants. He is even on record as willing to go to jail.
What happens from here?
The congressional House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has now sent a letter to Johnston requesting that he appear at a hearing on Feb. 4 in Washington, D.C. Lawmakers tell him that it is imperative that federal immigration law is enforced.
Johnston has released a statement saying the most helpful thing congressional Republicans can do, right now, is fix the broken immigration system while he focuses on running a city.
