Measles outbreak breaks out in one of America’s largest ICE detention centers

Measles outbreak breaks out in one of America’s largest ICE detention centers

By Lauren J. Young edited by Tanya Lewis

This week, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in El Paso, Tex., confirmed an outbreak of measles.

At least 14 people detained at Camp East Montana, located on the Fort Bliss Army base, have tested positive for the disease and are in quarantine, NBC reported. As many as 1,500 people are currently in the facility, according to recent reports. Measles spreads easily from person to person, often through the air at close range. Uniquely confined places like detention centers can promote the spread of measles and other infectious diseases, says Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University.

“Measles is extremely contagious and tends to cause explosive outbreaks in congregate settings such as detention centers and prisons,” says Nuzzo. “Anytime you have a group of unvaccinated or undervaccinated people crammed into a common indoor space for an extended period of time, you can expect outbreaks if an infection is introduced.”

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Vaccination is the key to preventing these outbreaks, she says: Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provide 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 containment measures are in place,” an agency spokesperson told NBC. “The health and safety of detainees, staff and the community remains a top priority.”

In a statement, Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, whose El Paso district includes Camp East Montana, said an additional 112 people at the facility are being isolated. “In addition to the thousands of detainees housed at (Camp East Montana), there are likely hundreds of El Pasoans employed there, along with 56 members of the Texas National Guard,” Escobar said in the statement. “Despite what I was initially told about the level of medical care inside the facility, it became very clear to me early on that serious medical problems were being overlooked and in some cases medical attention was non-existent for acute health problems.”

In response to the outbreak, the facility has been closed to visitors and legal counsel and is not expected to reopen until March 19, according to local news station FOX 7 Austin. In his statement, Escobar expressed concern that those detained at the facility have only been able to communicate with lawyers virtually.

At press time, DHS has not responded Scientific American‘pp request for comment. Camp East Montana – the nation’s largest ICE detention center – is run by a private company, Acquisition Logistics. DHS is considering whether to close the center permanently Washington Post reported Wednesday.

In early February, DHS officials had confirmed the detection of two cases of measles in people held at another immigration center in Dilley, Tex., prompting the cessation of all movement at the facility and the quarantine of infected individuals.

These measles outbreaks have occurred amid an alarming increase 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 these have included fast-spreading ones in South Carolina and Florida. Last week, the U.S. reached a troubling milestone: the country passed 1,000 confirmed measles cases just two months into 2026. That’s nearly half of all infections reported in 2025, which had the highest rates since measles was officially declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. If this trajectory continues, experts say it will merit U.S. status. widespread MMR vaccination campaigns. A meeting to determine status has been postponed until November.

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