Aurora ICE facility sees chicken pox outbreak

Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday confirmed 10 detainees at an Aurora immigration detention facility have been quarantined for chickenpox, drawing accusations by immigration activists of medical negligence and due-process violations.

Spokesmen from ICE and the GEO Group, the private company contracted to run the facility, disputed the allegations.

Immigration groups contend the quarantine is preventing detainees from being able to speak face-to-face with their lawyers, visit with family and attend hearings. They also allege that ICE has not followed its medical protocols when it comes to caring for detainees.

“People in this detention center are just neglected in general,” said Ana Rodriguez, an organizer with the Colorado People’s Alliance. “Folks in there do not receive the medical care they need.”

Three detainees were diagnosed with varicella, also known as chickenpox, ICE said in a statement. In addition,  seven others were quarantined because of low immunity that increased their risk of contracting the virus.The 21-day quarantine will continue through Oct. 29, according to the Geo Group.

Pamela Resendiz,  deputy director for United for a New Economy, said her organization has heard otherwise on both fronts, alleging that the whole pod of detainees was quarantined, which could push that number much higher.

There also are disputes on whether the quarantine is still active. Resendiz provided The Denver Post with an email from an organizer who visits the detention facility, saying he was told the quarantine had been lifted Oct. 21.

“There is an overall lack of transparency here,” Resendiz said. “A continuous lack of information. There has to be accountability.”

ICE pushed back Thursday against accusations of malfeasance.

“(Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition’s) disingenuous media advisory and news conference are obvious attempts to misinform the public about serious detention issues that it is not qualified to address — especially without first contacting my office in advance,” ICE Field Office Director Jeffrey Lynch said in statement.

The Geo Group also defended its handling of the quarantine.

“We strongly dispute the baseless allegations related to the handling of this quarantine and more generally the care provided at the Aurora Center, which has a long-standing record providing high-quality, culturally responsive services in a safe, secure and humane environment,” spokesman Pablo Paez said in a statement. “Members of our team strive to treat all of those entrusted to our care with compassion, dignity and respect.”

At a rally Thursday afternoon in downtown Denver, former detainees detailed the lack of medical treatment they received at the Aurora detention facility.

Isidro Quintana spent five months at the detention center. He said detainees would plead with guards for medical attention but were mostly ignored.

One day, Quintana said, he witnessed a man telling a guard that he was having heart palpitations.

“The guard’s response was, ‘You don’t look bad to me; you look really healthy,’” Quintana said.

In another instance, Quintana said a man told guards that he was feeling suicidal and wanted to kill himself. The man was ignored. The next day, he said, the man’s symptoms had significantly worsened.

“They took him to isolation,” Quintana said. “We never knew what happened to him.”