EL PASO, Texas — A large immigration detention camp in Texas has been closed to visitors and attorneys due to a measles outbreak, a lawmaker said Tuesday.
There are currently 14 active measles cases at the detention center located on the Fort Bliss Army base. In addition, 112 people are being isolated to help contain the spread of the disease, according to U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, an El Paso Democrat whose district includes the facility, known as Camp East Montana.
The facility will remain closed to visitors and attorneys until March 19 or March 20 as officials work to manage the outbreak.
“While on one hand, it is a good thing that the measles outbreak is being taken seriously, on the other hand, I am alarmed that a preventable crisis has created conditions where detainees can only access their lawyers virtually,” Escobar said in a statement.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/large-immigration-detention-camp-texas-closed-visitors-amid-130734299