A measles outbreak has been confirmed at Camp East Montana, the nation’s largest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, located on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas. An ICE spokesperson confirmed at least 14 active cases of the highly contagious disease at the facility, which holds an average of nearly 3,000 detainees.
People who tested positive have been “cohorted and separated from the rest of the detained population to prevent further spread.” The agency said it “is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with public health authorities to ensure appropriate medical care and containment measures are in place.”
The outbreak has forced the facility to close its doors to visitors and attorneys until around Tuesday (March 19) or Wednesday (March 20), according to U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose El Paso district includes the camp. Beyond the 14 confirmed cases, 112 people are being isolated as a precaution, she said.
Escobar also warned the outbreak poses a risk to the broader El Paso community. Detainees with measles are being quarantined at local hospitals, she said, noting that “likely hundreds of El Pasoans” work at the facility, along with 56 members of the Texas National Guard.
The City of El Paso Department of Public Health confirmed 13 measles cases at the ICE facility and four additional cases within the city last week. The four community cases involved people in their 20s and 30s with unknown vaccination status. City spokesperson Laura Cruz-Acosta told The Texas Tribune that the cases inside the detention center and those in the community are unrelated, though officials have not explained their contact tracing.
Recent Comments