Measles outbreak spreads at one of America’s largest ICE detention centers
Camp East Montana, one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the US, has confirmed measles infections in 14 people, prompting the El Paso facility to be closed to visitors.
The Camp East Montana detention facility under construction on the US-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, in August 2025.
Paul Ratje/Bloomberg/Getty Images
This week a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in El Paso, Texas confirmed a measles outbreak.
At least 14 people were detained at Camp East Montana, located on the Fort Bliss Army base. Have tested positive for the disease and are being isolatedNBC reported. as many as 1,500 people According to recent reports, are currently in the facility. Measles spreads easily from person to person, often through the air in close areas. Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and director of the Epidemic Center at Brown University, says uniquely confined spaces like detention centers can promote the spread of measles and other infectious diseases.
“Measles is extremely contagious and causes explosive outbreaks in congregate settings such as detention centers and prisons,” says Nuzzo. “Anytime you have a group of unvaccinated or undervaccinated people gathered in a common indoor space for an extended period of time, you can expect an outbreak when infections occur.”
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Vaccination is key to preventing these outbreaks, she says: two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides 97 percent protection against infection.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, is “closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with public health officials to ensure appropriate medical care and prevention measures,” a spokesperson for the agency told NBC.. “The health and safety of inmates, staff and the community remains the top priority.”
in a statementTexas Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district includes Camp East Montana in El Paso, said another 112 people are being isolated at the facility. “In addition to the thousands of detainees housed at (Camp East Montana), there are 56 members of the Texas National Guard as well as hundreds of El Pasoans serving there,” Escobar said in the statement. “Despite what I was initially told about the level of medical care inside the facility, it became clear to me very early on that serious medical issues were being ignored and, in some cases, medical attention for immediate health issues did not exist.”
In response to the outbreak, the facility has been closed to visitors and legal counsel. Reopening not expected until March 19According to local news station FOX 7 Austin. In his statement, Escobar expressed concern that people detained at the facility are only able to communicate virtually with lawyers.
At press time, DHS has not responded. scientific American‘S Request for comment. Camp East Montana—the nation’s largest ICE detention center—is run by a private company, Acquisition Logistics. DHS is It is being reviewed whether the center should be closed permanently or not.The Washington Post Reported on Wednesday.
DHS officials in early February had confirmed the detection of two cases of measles Among those held at another immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas, which led to a halt to all movement in the facility and quarantine of infected individuals.
The measles outbreak comes amid an alarming surge in the disease across the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already reported 152 outbreaks in 45 states and jurisdictions this year — and that includes fast-spreading cases in South Carolina and Florida. Last week the US hit a disturbing milestone: The country surpassed 1,000 confirmed measles cases in just two months in 2026. This accounts for almost half of all infections reported in 2025, which Rates hit highest since measles was officially declared eradicated If this trajectory continues, experts say the US will lose its measles-free status, which it earned through widespread MMR vaccination campaigns. a meeting to determine that situation has been postponed until November.
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