Kelly & Grijalva push for answers on measles outbreak at Arizona ICE facilities

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, joined by Reps. Adelita Grijalva, Yassamin Ansari and Greg Stanton, demanded answers from the Trump administration over an outbreak of measles cases at two immigration detention centers near Florence, Arizona. 

In a three-page letter, the four members of Arizona’s congressional delegation pressed for answers to two dozen questions from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We write to request detailed information regarding the reported measles outbreak1 affecting individuals at the Florence Service Processing Center and the Florence Correctional Center in Florence, Arizona,” they wrote. “We are greatly concerned about the health risk to detained individuals, detention center staff and the broader community.”

While the Florence Service Processing Center is operated by ICE, the Florence Correctional Center is one of five detention facilities managed by the private prison corporation CoreCivic.

“Measles is a highly contagious disease that can spread rapidly in congregate settings. It is critical that your agencies act swiftly, transparently, and in coordination with federal, state and local public health authorities to contain the outbreak and prevent further spread,” they wrote.

The letter asked for a response by Thursday, Feb. 19. “Please ensure that all responses reflect information dating from the start of the current outbreak to the present,” the Arizona Democrats wrote.

At least three people in federal custody have tested positive for measles, and Arizona’s Department of Health Services reported at least 31 additional cases across the state in 2026. 

As the Sentinel reported last month, the first publicly reported recent measles case in Southern Arizona was a person who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and was detained by federal authorities in late December. That person, who hasn’t been identified, was hospitalized in Pima County after showing symptoms. Santa Cruz County officials were also involved in the public health response to that case.

That individual was a migrant who was detained by Border Patrol agents, a government official
with knowledge of the situation but who isn’t authorized to provide that
information to the press told the Sentinel. Since then, two other people in the Tucson area have been diagnosed with measles, but were not connected to the migrant.

Measles cases in the U.S. hit their highest level since 2000 when the disease was nearly eliminated, according to data from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins. Researchers have confirmed at least 2,925 measles cases since the beginning of 2025, including 377 cases detected from Jan. 16 to Jan. 30, 2026.

“Measles outbreaks have been reported in multiple states, raising concerns about continued spread, increases in hospitalizations and deaths, and loss of measles elimination status, highlighting the importance of measles vaccination and rapid detection and reporting of suspected and confirmed measles cases,” said officials from Johns Hopkins.

They noted measles is “highly contagious disease” that spreads through the air when an infected person “coughs, sneezes, or talks, releasing tiny droplets containing the virus.” 

In severe cases people can suffer inflammation of the brain, including encephalitis, which can cause brain damage. Measles can be fatal.

“The best way to prevent contracting measles is through measles vaccination,” the researchers said. “Having a high percentage of people fully vaccinated against measles is the best way to prevent outbreaks, and is also the best way to protect people who cannot get measles vaccines, such as babies or people with cancer.”

A 2016 measles outbreak at the nearby Eloy Detention began because a family from nearby Kearney contracted the disease at
Disneyland, and brought it back to central Arizona, resulting in the
infection at least 22 detainees. An outbreak of mumps in March 2019 meant that ICE quarantined about 345 people at La Palma, while another 59 were quarantined for chickenpox at the Florence facility.

And, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were thousands of cases across the U.S. at immigration detention facilities.

ICE has sought to massively expand its detention capacity, including the purchase of warehouse near Surprise, Arizona that’s slated to become a 1,500-bed facility. That project has faced a wave of public outrage forcing Republicans like Rep. Paul Gosar to press for questions from the agency about their plans for the 418,000-square foot facility. 

A similar effort has pushed against a shuttered state prison in Marana that’s slated to become an immigration detention facility operated by Management & Training Corporation.

ICE officials did not respond to a request for comment from the Tucson Sentinel about the outbreak or the letter.

Arizona’s lawmakers asked for the number of confirmed and suspected cases among detainees and staff, and asked questions about ICE’s attempts to quarantine the disease while providing access to legal representations.

They also asked ICE about how many detainees were vaccinated, and if ICE would offer vaccinations to detainees and staff.

“It is critically important that your agencies respond to this outbreak with urgency and transparency. We look forward to receiving your written responses to the above questions,” the lawmakers wrote.

Measles symptoms

Measles is a highly contagious virus — it has what is referred to as
an R-naught of 12 to 18, according to Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the Pima County Health Department director,
meaning that “out of every 20 people that may come in contact with an
acute case of measles, 18 may acquire the disease.”

It can cause permanent hearing problems or vision loss, pneumonia,
brain damage or even death, and is especially risky for children under
age five.

The virus can can spread through direct contact, infected surfaces and live in the air for up to two hours.

Symptoms can appear 7-14 days after exposure, and those carrying the
virus can begin spreading even before that time — up to 4 days before a
rash appears. They can can include a high fever (104°F to 105.8°F), a full-body rash that
usually starts a few days after the fever, cough, runny nose, diarrhea
and red, watery eyes.

Serious complications can include permanent hearing problems or vision loss, pneumonia, brain damage and death.

The last measles outbreak in Pima County was
in 2008, when an infected person spread the disease to 16 other people,
Cullen said. The last known case was in 2019, when an international
traveler tested positive for the disease.

Pima officials have
noted that a “natural infection” of measles carries higher risks than
getting vaccinated. In recent outbreaks, about 99% of people infected
weren’t immunized and almost 20% of infected children had to be
hospitalized.