Measles Outbreak Linked to Detention Facility

It's April 3rd. Welcome in. This is El Paso News today, where local news meets AI.

Texas has seen 175 measles cases this year so far, and most of them.

135 come from one spot in Hutsbeth County. That's all linked to the West Texas Detention Facility in

Sierra Blanca, about 88 miles southeast of El Paso. This federal spot holds US Marshall Service

Detainees, including immigrants. The rest of the cases are scattered. 24 in El Paso County,

six in Rockwall, five in Bandera, and a few more in places like Frio, Bexar, Kindle, and Lubbock.

State Health data shows this outbreak hitting hard in these detention settings during the first four

months of 2026. Word from earlier reports is that the virus jumped from the facility to the outside

at least four El Paso residents who worked there caught measles, proving how these cases spilled

over into local communities. Now inspections are turning up bigger problems that places like

El Paso's campus Montana, the country's largest immigration detention center. They found violations

in medical care, security, use of force, and handling restraints, including failing to isolate

someone showing tuberculosis, symptoms, and not reporting it right away. Responses to detainee

complaints about health care have been dragging two, taking six to 14 business days on a dozen issues.

Officials are still digging into these facilities, so expect more updates as they push for fixes on

the ground.