DILLEY, Texas – Two people detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center have active measles infections, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed the infections Saturday, according to a statement from DHS.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement quarantined all individuals suspected of making contact with those infected, DHS said, and it ceased all movement within the facility.
DHS said medical staff are continuing to monitor their conditions and will take steps to prevent further infection.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro visited the facility last Wednesday, but a spokesperson said he and all his staff members are vaccinated for measles and protected from exposure to others.
While the congressman previously announced he would visit the facility with nine other members on Friday, that trip has now been cancelled due to the cases.
In a statement, Castro’s spokesperson added that Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, had a full medical exam and would not have been released if there was any risk of exposure.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that it has a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an immigrant enters custody, describing it as “the best medical care that many aliens have received in their entire lives.”
Castro spokesperson Katherine Schneider pushed back against these claims, stating there is “unreliable access to medical care and a negligent disregard for babies, kids, women and men when they are sick and suffering.”
The full statement from the Department of Homeland Security can be read below:
“On January 31, 2026, the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed active measles infections of two detainees at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas. ICE Health Services Corps immediately took steps to quarantine and control further spread and infection, ceasing all movement within the facility and quarantining all individuals suspected of making contact with the infected.
“Medical staff is continuing to monitor the detainees’ conditions and will take appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection. All detainees are being provided with proper medical care.
“It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. This is the best healthcare than many aliens have received in their entire lives.”
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary
The full statement from Castro’s spokesperson can be read below:
“Shortly after giving notice that Congressman Castro and nine other members of Congress would inspect Dilley on February 6th, 2026, the Congressman and our staff were notified that there were two reported cases of measles at the Dilley detention center. As a result, our visit was cancelled and we will not return to Dilley next week.
“The Congressman and our staff members who visited Dilley this week are vaccinated, and therefore protected from exposure to others. Upon leaving the facility last night, Liam and Adrian Ramos had a full medical exam by the medical staff at Dilley. ICE would not have released either if there was any risk of exposure.
“The detainees described the inhumane and horrific conditions at Dilley detention center to the Congressman and our staff. There is unreliable access to medical care and a negligent disregard for babies, kids, women, and men when they are sick and suffering. Let’s be clear: ICE is entirely responsible for these conditions. Congressman Castro and our office will be tracking this development closely as we continue to work toward the release of all the kids, women, and men detained at Dilley, and at all detention centers across the country.”
Katherine Schneider, Castro's spokesperson
Read also: