Colorado health officials on Thursday issued a new demand for information about tuberculosis at the immigrant detention center in Aurora, escalating a showdown between local and federal authorities over oversight of the facility.
The public health order, signed by the top two leaders of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, instructs the GEO Group, which operates the center, to turn over the names and dates of birth of anyone who either tested positive for tuberculosis or was exposed to the disease. It also asks for information about test results, scans and treatments for anyone who may have been infected with tuberculosis.
The order sets Monday as the deadline for compliance.
There has been one confirmed case of tuberculosis — a contagious and potentially fatal disease — at the facility this year. Officials with the GEO Group and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say the person has been removed from the country. Thursday’s public health order also asks GEO to provide information on where the infected person was sent and whether health officials in the destination country were informed.
While ICE and GEO say there have been no other cases of tuberculosis, at least one report has suggested a wider outbreak occurred within the facility. The public health order says more than 400 people work at the facility who, along with any released detainees, could spread tuberculosis into the community.
Read the full article on The Colorado Sun's website.
