Federal and local health officials are reporting two active tuberculosis cases and 18 COVID-19 infections at the massive Camp East Montana ICE detention center in El Paso, worsening concerns about disease spread inside the 5,000-bed facility.
The news comes as two measles cases were confirmed earlier this week at the South Texas Family Residential Center near San Antonio, prompting quarantine measures and highlighting broader public health issues in immigration detention settings.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who visited Camp East Montana last week, said medical staff shared the latest infection data with her and other officials, and city health authorities confirmed reporting of the tuberculosis cases under state law.
At least 3,100 people were held at the El Paso facility in late January, and advocates have long raised alarms about crowded conditions and healthcare access; Immigration and Customs Enforcement has not yet publicly commented on the El Paso infection figures.
At the Dilley family detention center, roughly 70 miles south of San Antonio, federal and state health officials confirmed measles cases and enacted facility-wide quarantine and halted movement as part of containment efforts. Measles is highly contagious, and public health experts have warned that detention environments can accelerate spread, leading to criticism of conditions and calls for improved medical oversight.
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