The immigrant detention center in Dilley, Texas, which gained notoriety last week for holding Minnesota resident 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, is now the site of an active measles outbreak.
At least two detainees have confirmed infections, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS also said all movement within the facility has stopped and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Health Services Corp is taking active steps to control the outbreak.
The cases were confirmed as the detention center was thrust into the national spotlight for housing Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, who were taken from their home in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, last month despite the family having an active asylum case. Images of the 5-year-old wearing a blue bunny hat alongside ICE officers went viral, as the DHS has repeatedly said ICE was targeting the “worst of the worst” in its Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities.
Yesterday, Texas congressman Joaquin Castro accompanied Liam and his father back home to Minnesota after a judge ordered their release. The DHS halted all movement in the detention center due to measles just hours after Liam and his father left.
Utah has 237 measles cases
On Friday of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been 588 measles infections so far this year, with a growing outbreak in South Carolina poised to be the latest US outbreak in decades.
The South Carolina outbreak will likely top at least 900 cases this week.
Utah has surpassed Arizona and now has 237 measles cases in an active outbreak, making it the state with the second-most activity after South Carolina. Arizona has 231 cases in its ongoing measles outbreak.
Utah has seen 21 cases in the past nine days with three counties affected—Southwest Utah health district, Utah County, and Salt Lake County. Of the 237 cases, 158 have been identified in Southwest Utah health district, which borders Arizona.
Also of note today, a measles case has been confirmed in a student from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Officials said the student was exposed to measles during international travel, and the case was not linked to a different case reported last week in Waukesha County.
Wisconsin now has two measles cases in 2026.
