AURORA, Colo. — Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confirmed a case of the mumps at its GEO Center in Aurora where it keeps detainees.
ICE says medical staff quickly found the problem and quarantined everyone who was exposed.
The staff says it examines every detainee who arrives at the facility, but they say they have no way of knowing what that person was exposed to before coming to the facility.
The GEO Center is located near Peoria Street and 30th Avenue.
Read the full statement below.
“With the recent influx of migrants coming from the southern border, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed one new case of parotitis, mumps, at our Denver Contract Detention Facility. Medical personnel are credited with reducing the further infection of detainees by their quick reaction to quarantine everyone who may have been inadvertently exposed to stop the spread of the disease. Each detainee receives a medical examination upon arrival at the facility to check for potential signs of illness, however ICE has no way of knowing what viruses a person may have been exposed to prior to entering the facility. Mumps is highly contagious, easily contracted by nearby people and difficult to detect until symptoms appear. ICE and the medical professionals employed by GEO took the necessary steps to quickly isolate the exposed detainees, provide proper medical care and prevent further spread of the disease. Preventative steps included education, early recognition, and following the guidelines established by the CDC and Immigration Health Services Corps (IHSC).
We strive to ensure people in our care are treated with compassion and we work to get them back to health as quickly as possible while mitigating the spread of this and all diseases.”