Camp East Montana closed to visitors following measles outbreak, Rep. Veronica Escobar says

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)- According to a statement from Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, Camp East Montana is closed to visitors and attorneys until March 19th or 20th because of a measles outbreak.

"There are 14 active measles cases inside the facility and 112 individuals are being isolated. This is on the heels of prior COVID and tuberculosis outbreaks there. I’ve also learned the alarming news that there has been an effort to quarantine detainees with measles at our local hospitals," Escobar says.

Escobar also stated that during her oversight visits, she never saw staff at East Montana wearing masks or PPE to prevent the spread communicable disease.

Congresswoman Escobar says, "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. "

ABC-7 has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security on the status of the measles outbreak in Camp East Montana and has not heard back.