Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) released the following statement:
"Camp East Montana, which is run by Acquisition Logistics, a private corporation with no prior experience in running immigration detention facilities, is closed to visitors and attorneys until March 19th or 20th because of a measles outbreak. There are 14 active measles cases inside the facility and 112 individuals are being isolated. This is on the heels of prior COVID and tuberculosis outbreaks there. I’ve also learned the alarming news that there has been an effort to quarantine detainees with measles at our local hospitals.
"In addition to the thousands of detainees housed at CEM, there are likely hundreds of El Pasoans employed there, along with 56 members of the Texas National Guard. During my several oversight visits, I have never seen personnel wearing masks or PPE in order to prevent the spread communicable disease. I’ve been informed the staff is finally getting PPE, but I cannot personally confirm that is the case.
"Despite what I was initially told about the level of medical care inside the facility, it became very clear to me early on that serious medical issues were being overlooked and, in some cases, medical attention was non-existent for urgent health issues. There has also been consistently sub-par access to hygiene, janitorial and laundry services. Whether this has been deliberate on the part of the contractor, or a result of incompetence, the end result is the same: a violation of federal standards and outright fraud.
"Equally disappointing, as has been the case with every crisis inside the facility, ICE did not communicate with my office proactively about the closure of the facility to attorneys and visitors.
"While on one hand, it is a good thing that the measles outbreak is being taken seriously, on the other hand, I am alarmed that a preventable crisis has created conditions where detainees can only access their lawyers virtually.
"There has been nothing but crisis after crisis inside the walls of this tent city. I again renew my call for DHS to shut down Camp East Montana and for the Department of Justice to investigate the contractor for fraud."
