As Coronavirus Hits Colorado, Crow Demands ICE Detention Center Make Clear Disaster Response Plan for Aurora ICE Facility

As Colorado responds to the coronavirus, Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) sent a letter to local ICE and GEO officials demanding a clear disaster response plan from the Aurora ICE detention facility regarding the coronavirus.

"We know detention centers like the Aurora ICE facility are at an extremely high risk for virus spread. Should a detainee contract the coronavirus, it would present a huge risk to the health and well-being of the detainees, the facility staff and their families, as well as the public health as a whole," said Crow. "The mumps and varicella outbreaks at ICE last year made clear the need for transparency and accountability at the facility. This is a pandemic and we must have all assurances from ICE that they are prepared to handle the coronavirus. Given the confusion and rumors regarding the precautionary cohort isolation due to possible exposure earlier this week, we will continue to push for answers."

Read the text of the letter below.

March 17, 2020

VIA ELECTRONIC DELIVERY

John Fabbricatore

Acting ICE Field Office Director

Denver Field Office

12455 E Caley Ave

Centennial, CO 80111

Johnny Choate

Facility Administrator

GEO Aurora ICE Processing Center

3130 N Oakland St

Aurora, CO 80010

Dear Acting Director Fabbricatore and Administrator Choate,

I write with serious concerns about the public health risks and treatment of detainees at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility ("the Facility"), operated by GEO in concert with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE"). I believe that the Coronavirus ("COVID-19") outbreak across the country merits strengthened oversight and an evaluation of existing procedures, including reporting to local, county, state, and federal public health agencies.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, there have been 160 positive cases of COVID-19 in Colorado, and one death as of March 16, 2020. This public health crisis adds to our existing concerns regarding the health standards and procedures in ICE detention facilities, medical staffing levels, and the rationale behind detainee transfers. COVID-19 spreads very quickly, especially in confined spaces, and any infections reported at the Facility pose a threat not only to the detainees, but to the broader community as well.

As part of our work to provide oversight and ensure accountability at the Facility, we have been in regular communications with ICE and the Facility staff regarding the possibility of COVID-19. In light of several disease outbreaks during the winter of 2019, I instituted weekly site visits to ensure that the Facility complies with federal requirements and honors detainees' civil rights.

During an oversight visit on February 24, 2020, I asked Facility staff directly about preparedness and readiness protocol in the event COVID-19 is detected in the Facility. During my visit, you indicated that you were conducting an assessment of the Facility's preparedness for responding to COVID-19. And as we discussed during my visit, I stand ready to advocate for additional health resources that the Facility may need to address the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure the health and safety of the detainees and surrounding community.

During a call on March 13, 2020 with ICE, my office was informed that there were no suspected cases of COVID-19 at the Facility. Similarly, on March 16, 2020, my office was informed that there were still no suspected cases of COVID-19 at the Facility. However, as of March 17, 2020, my office received confirmation that 10 detainees were put into a cohort on March 12, 2020 as a result of interacting with a visitor exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.

In that light, I respectfully request that you respond to the following questions:

1. What assessment have you conducted regarding the readiness of the Facility in responding to a COVID-19 outbreak?
2. What is the current status of COVID concerns at the Facility, and what measures have you put in place to address those concerns?
3. What public health, government, or first responder agencies have been informed of the measures you have recently taken in response to your concerns?
4. How is the Facility ensuring that detainees and staff that are high risk (i.e. older adults, pregnant detainees, people who have serious chronic medical conditions) are separated from detainees exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19?
5. What is the Facility doing to protect the health of staff, and to prevent the spread of the disease outside of the Facility when those staff' shifts end?
6. The CDC recommends avoiding close contact (within about 6 feet) as a method to prevent the spread of COVID-19. How is the Facility ensuring that detainees are reasonably distanced from one another especially in living quarters?
7. The CDC also recommends cleaning your hands often as a method to prevent the spread of COVID-19. How is the Facility ensuring that detainees have access to soap and other high grade cleaning products?
8. How many presumptive positive and/or confirmed cases of COVID-19 have occurred at the Facility in the past three months and how many of those cases did the ICE Health Service Corps oversee?
9. What is the Facility's protocol for quarantining and treating detainees exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19?
10. How is the Facility ensuring that detainees are treated properly, humanely, and with dignity while in quarantine?
11. How many inter-facility detainee transfers have occurred in the last three months to the Facility and, of those detainees, how many have been determined to have had interacted with an individual who was a presumptive position and/or confirmed case of COVID-19?
12. What is the Facility's protocol for ensuring that newly-transferred detainees do not pose a health risk to themselves or other detainees?

Thank you for your consideration and prompt reply to these questions.

Sincerely,

JASON CROW

Member of Congress

Enclosure

cc: The Honorable Chad F. Wolfe, Acting Secretary

U.S. Department of Homeland Security