Arizona ICE facility reports 7 measles cases

Multiple Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees in Arizona have become infected with measles.

In a statement to KJZZ, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed there were seven active measles cases at ICE’s Florence detention center as of Tuesday.

“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,” the statement said.

The statement said people in ICE custody have access to proper medical care.

“Medical staff is continuing to monitor the detainees’ conditions and will take appropriate and active steps to prevent further infection,” the statement said.

All in-person visitation for non-legal purposes is currently suspended at the Florence detention center, according to DHS.

This is the second time this year DHS has reported measles cases in its Arizona facilities. Three cases had been reported in federal custody in the state in February. Multiple ICE facilities in Texas have also reported measles outbreaks in 2026.

“Those ICE detention facilities are a super challenging environment for especially things like measles, because it’s just so contagious,” said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association. “You have rapid turnover of people in a congregate setting with lots of shared air, and my understanding is that they have very limited vaccination records to know who’s unvaccinated.”

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. The virus can linger in the air for two hours after an infected person coughs or sneezes. And the virus will infect 90% of unvaccinated people who come in contact with it.

Arizona has confirmed 100 measles cases so far in 2026. Most of the state’s cases this year have been in Mohave County. But the Arizona Department of Health Services recently declared the Mohave County outbreak over after no new cases had been reported in the area for more than six weeks.

Now Pinal County, home to the Florence detention center, is seeing a rise in cases. The Pinal County Public Health Services District recently warned of potential public measles exposures for anyone who visited a Wendy’s in Coolidge on June 25.