Measles Outbreaks Confirmed in Immigration Detention Centers Across the Southwest
Measles cases have been confirmed in federal immigration detention centers across Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. This has prompted significant public health responses, including quarantines, isolation, and extensive vaccination efforts by health officials. These outbreaks contribute to a concerning national increase in measles infections, with health officials consistently emphasizing vaccination as the primary protective measure against the highly contagious airborne virus.
Confirmed Cases and Locations Across the Southwest
Arizona
A measles case was initially confirmed in a Mexican national detained at the Florence Detention Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Arizona. Following this, the Arizona Public Health Department and Pinal County Public Health Services District (PCPHSD) identified two additional measles cases within Pinal County.
This brings Pinal County's total to three confirmed cases.
Statewide, Arizona has reported 25 measles cases this year. Seventeen of these are linked to an outbreak in Mohave County, three in Maricopa County, and one in Pima County, in addition to the Pinal County cases.
New Mexico
New Mexico has confirmed six measles cases, all involving federal detainees. The most recent case was identified in an inmate at the Doña Ana County Detention Center in Las Cruces. The initial case in New Mexico was identified on February 25 at the Hidalgo County Detention Center. Subsequent cases have been confirmed in detainees at the Hidalgo, Luna, and Doña Ana County Detention Centers.
Individuals who visited the U.S. District Court building in Las Cruces on February 24 may have been exposed to the virus.
Texas
An outbreak of at least 14 measles cases was confirmed at Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility located on the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas.
Coordinated Public Health Response Underway
Arizona Response
In Arizona, ICE Health Services Corp initiated immediate quarantine measures at the Florence Detention Center. This involved ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining individuals suspected of contact with confirmed cases. PCPHSD is implementing standard public health protocols in coordination with state partners, assessing the overall risk to the general community as low. CoreCivic, the private company operating the Florence Detention Center, stated its collaboration with ICE to provide comprehensive healthcare services, including screening, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Detainees are reported to have daily access to medical and mental health services, alongside 24/7 emergency care.
A prior measles outbreak at a Pinal County ICE detention center in 2016 resulted in over 30 cases among detainees and nine staff members, according to a CDC report.
New Mexico Response
The New Mexico Department of Health advises individuals who may have been exposed to check their vaccination status and report any measles symptoms to a healthcare provider by March 17. Vaccination teams have been dispatched to the affected detention facilities, and health officials are coordinating to ensure strict adherence to quarantine, isolation, testing, and vaccination protocols.
Dr. Chad Smelser, New Mexico's deputy state epidemiologist, emphasized the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination as the primary protective measure.
Texas Response
At Camp East Montana, affected individuals have been separated to prevent further transmission of the virus within the facility.
National Context: A Rising Trend in Measles Infections
Measles infections have seen a significant increase nationally.
According to one report, 2,242 measles infections were recorded last year across the U.S., marking it as more than any year since the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Prior to 2025, the U.S. averaged approximately 180 reported measles cases annually.
So far this year, at least 416 confirmed measles cases have been reported across the United States.
Another report indicates over 1,000 measles cases were reported nationally in the first two months of 2026, marking it as one of the years with the highest number of infections since 2000.
Understanding Measles
Measles is an airborne virus, meaning it can spread easily through the air. Symptoms typically develop one to three weeks post-exposure. These can include a runny nose, fever, a persistent cough, red eyes, and a characteristic blotchy rash that appears a few days after the initial symptoms.