Urgent Action Needed: Measles Outbreak at Dilley Detention Facility

I am writing to urge immediate action regarding the measles outbreak at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, where two confirmed cases have been reported. This situation demands swift medical intervention and the release of detained children and families to prevent further spread of this highly contagious disease. Measles spreads through the air and can remain infectious on surfaces, making detention facilities particularly dangerous environments for outbreaks. The virus poses severe risks to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. Before vaccinations became available in the early 1960s, measles caused 400 to 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations annually in the United States. Three people died from measles last year alone. The case of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who were held at this facility until their court-ordered release on Saturday, illustrates the urgent need for action. It remains unclear whether they were exposed to the infected detainees. This family was pursuing asylum under established protocols when they were arrested on January 20 after returning home from the boy's preschool in Minnesota. I urge you to advocate for the immediate release of all children and families detained at the Dilley facility, comprehensive medical screening and treatment for all detainees, mandatory immunizations for all detainees before release, vaccination programs for facility staff and immigration enforcement personnel, and contact tracing and vaccination support for communities where released detainees will reside. With 588 measles cases confirmed nationwide as of last Thursday and experts warning the disease may become endemic again after virtual elimination in 2000, we cannot afford to allow detention facilities to become disease incubators. The health and safety of detained families, facility workers, and surrounding communities depend on swift action.