Measles Outbreak Confirmed at Texas ICE Facility Amid Growing Detention of Families
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has confirmed at least two active measles infections among detainees at a family detention centre in Texas, prompting a quarantine and cessation of all movement within the facility. The announcement follows the release of a five-year-old boy and his father, whose case had sparked widespread outrage against the Trump administration's deportation efforts.
Quarantine Measures Implemented at Dilley Centre
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE is "ceasing all movement" at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center and quarantining individuals suspected of contact with the infected. A statement issued on Sunday assured that "all detainees are being provided with proper medical care," amid growing alarm from immigration attorneys and members of Congress who feared an outbreak. The facility holds more than 1,000 families, including numerous young children.
Release of Detained Child and Father
Early on Sunday morning, Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro escorted five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, from the Texas detention centre to their home in Minnesota. This followed a federal judge's order for their release on Saturday. The pair had been detained by federal officers from the driveway of their suburban Minneapolis home on January 20 and brought to the facility, where the preschooler was reportedly ill and asking for his mother.
Broader Context of Child Detentions
Liam and his father are among at least seven Minneapolis-area children detained by federal agents in recent days, in scenes mirroring arrests during other immigration enforcement operations across the country. At least four children detained during the Minneapolis dragnet are inside the same Texas facility, according to Columbia Heights Public Schools. This comes as ICE detentions have surged under the Trump administration, with over 70,000 people held at any given point—the highest number in modern American history.
Measles Cases and Public Health Concerns
The outbreak occurs against a backdrop of rising measles cases in the United States. Last year saw the most infections in decades, with more than 2,200 cases nationwide, including at least 762 in West Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The state reported at least two young children deaths and 99 hospitalisations related to measles.
Growing Numbers of Children in Custody
While the federal government does not publicly disclose information about children in immigration custody, data from advocacy groups and news organisations indicate a troubling trend. According to The Marshall Project, at least 3,800 people under 18 years old, including 20 infants, were in immigration enforcement custody last year. ProPublica reports that roughly 600 children were detained in facilities intended for unaccompanied minors, exceeding the number detained during all four years of the Biden administration.
Prolonged Detention and Welfare Issues
Immigration attorneys and advocates have expressed deep concern over the prolonged detention and re-detention of children in these facilities, which are operated by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement. The average length of stay has increased dramatically, from a low of 27 days in 2023 to 117 days within the last year, as reported by Kids In Need of Defense. This extended confinement raises significant questions about the welfare and rights of vulnerable young detainees amidst public health crises like the current measles outbreak.
