Rep. Jason Crow tours Colorado's Buckley Space Force Base after hearing reports ICE would use it for mass deportations
Rep. Jason Crow says he jumped into action when he heard reports last month that a military base in his Colorado district was going to be used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in mass deportations.
The Democrat from the 6th Congressional District immediately started to conduct oversight and submitted requests for information about plans for Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora to be used to process ICE deportation cases.
After getting what he said were vague responses, he decided to visit the base himself. On Monday he toured the base's operations. He said he didn't see anything that raised red flags.
Crow was told Buckley will not be used to house detainees but rather serve as a staging location for ICE and law enforcement coordination.
One major concern Crow says he has is that servicemembers would be pulled in to assist in the deportation of peaceful members of the community.
"But also what that means for the morale of our troops, the people that have raised their right hand, who have taken an oath to defend against our adversaries, who might be pulled into very contentious and political domestic law enforcement operations," Crow said.
Crow says responsible governance requires transparency. He remains cautious about the activity at Buckley and says that he will continue to monitor the situation to ensure it doesn't transition into a detention or deportation center.
A small group of people gathered outside the base on Monday to protest ICE's plans.