Measles Outbreak Locks Down Arizona ICE Detention Center, Halting Legal Visits

Seven Active Cases Confirmed at Florence Detention Center

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on July 7 that seven active measles infections had been identified among detainees at the Florence Detention Center in Pinal County. All cases were reported to the Arizona Public Health Department, and ICE Health Services Corps immediately ceased all movement within the facility, quarantining anyone suspected of contact with infected individuals. All non-legal in-person visitation was suspended to protect detainees, staff, and the surrounding community.

The outbreak came to broader attention after Arizona Democratic Representative Greg Stanton conducted an unannounced oversight inspection at the nearby Eloy facility on July 2, where on-site staff told him that multiple detainees had already been placed into isolation following potential measles exposure. Several ICE detainees suspected of exposure were held in quarantine at Eloy Detention Center, though no cases have been confirmed there, according to a spokesman for CoreCivic, the private for-profit prison company that operates both facilities.

Legal Access and Court Hearings Disrupted

The ongoing isolation measures have raised serious concerns at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, a nonprofit that provides free legal and social support to individuals in Arizona's ICE facilities. The organization's adult legal program manager, Monica Cordero-Vazquez, confirmed that the Florence Detention Center is subject to a full lockdown due to measles quarantines, with all in-person visits — including legal visits — currently suspended.

The isolation protocols have also completely halted detainee transfers to immigration court, a disruption that threatens to delay legal proceedings and prolong time spent in custody. This is not the first time communication has broken down — ICE quietly managed three measles cases at the facility in February without alerting local aid organizations, and volunteers say they are facing the same lack of information now, with shelter worker Anna Keating confirming: "We have not been told anything by ICE."

Arizona's Measles Crisis Is Bigger Than One Facility

So far this year, there have been 108 confirmed measles cases in Arizona, including 16 cases in Pinal County — which includes the seven cases reported at the ICE detention facility — and two cases in Pima County, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Pinal County Public Health Services also warned the public of potential measles exposures for those who visited a Wendy's in Coolidge on June 25, when a traveler with measles passed through the restaurant.

Even though measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, cases have been surging across the country as vaccination rates have declined, especially since the pandemic. In 2025, the U.S. recorded 2,268 measles cases — the highest number in 30 years. Of the 330 confirmed measles cases in Arizona since the start of 2025, 96% of the infected individuals were unvaccinated.

A Recurring Problem Demanding Accountability

Measles is a highly infectious virus that can linger in the air for up to two hours and can spread from an infected person through physical contact or through the air via coughing or sneezing — making crowded detention facilities particularly vulnerable environments. This is not the first time measles has spread at an ICE detention center in Arizona. In 2016, an outbreak at a Pinal County ICE facility resulted in more than 30 cases among detainees and nine staff members, according to the CDC.

Congressional leaders have raised concerns about conditions at the ICE facilities, questioning the level of medical care, vaccination rates, and overcrowding. Lawmakers have demanded detailed answers on questions including the number of confirmed and suspected cases among detainees and staff, medical capacity, quarantine measures, access to legal representation during quarantine, vaccination rates, and coordination with state and local public health authorities. With measles case counts continuing to climb nationally, the situation in Florence is a stark reminder that declining vaccination rates have real and immediate consequences — especially for those with nowhere to go.