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Buckley Base in Aurora Begins Operations as Migrant Processing Center

THE MILITARY BASE IN AURORA BEGINS OPERATIONS UNDER ICE CONTROL AMID TRUMP’S STRICTER IMMIGRATION POLICIES.

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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According to a report published on Sunday, February 9, by the Daily Mail, Buckley Military Base in Aurora, Colorado, will begin functioning as a migrant detention center starting Monday, February 10. The British news outlet cites information from the Pentagon’s Northern Command, which has authorized the use of the facility by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the detention and processing of migrants.

The Daily Mail states that the decision to use Buckley is part of the Trump administration’s stricter immigration policies, which have intensified deportations and the use of military infrastructure for these purposes. In recent weeks, Northern Command had approved ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) request to repurpose the base as a migrant processing center.

Expanding Detention and Processing Capacity

The Daily Mail reports that the measure comes amid a significant surge in migrant arrests, which have recently ranged between 1,000 and 1,200 daily detentions, according to ICE. This figure far exceeds the daily average of 311 arrests recorded in fiscal year 2024. Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border policy chief, told Fox News that “more deportations” are needed and that the government continues working to expand detention and processing capacity.

Previous reports had already detailed the requirements set by ICE for Buckley’s operations. According to an agency statement, the facility will include a temporary operations center, a detainee intake and classification area, and temporary detention spaces to process migrants before deportation or transfer to other facilities. ICE also noted that other federal agencies, such as DHS and local law enforcement, will be involved in handling detainees.

Reactions

A response is expected from Democratic Representative Jason Crow regarding the operation of the migrant processing center at Buckley. After a visit to the base, Crow stated that the facility would be used solely as a coordination center for migration operations and not to house detainees. Confirmation is awaited on whether his stance has changed following meetings with federal authorities.

The use of military bases for migrant detention has been controversial among community leaders and immigrant rights advocates. Organizations like the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC) have voiced concerns over the lack of transparency in immigration operations and warned about the impact these policies have on immigrant communities.