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Two cases of measles have been reported in detainees at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio.
Castro and several members of Congress visited the detention center last week to push for the release of 5-year-old Minnesota boy Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo Arias. The two were detained in the Minneapolis suburb late last month after immigration officers took Conejo Arias into custody.
They were both released from the center on Sunday following a federal court order.
“The Congressman and our staff were notified that there were two reported cases of measles at the Dilley detention center," said Castro Spokesperson, Katherine Schneider.
Castro and his staff members are vaccinated against measles.
“Upon leaving the facility, 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," Schneider said.
Castro and other lawmakers were scheduled to return to Dilley later this week. That trip has since been canceled.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Health Services stopped all movement within the facility, Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. All individuals suspected of making contact with the two cases have also been quarantined.
Medical staff will continue to monitor detainees. DHS has not yet responded to TPR's request for comment.
The South Texas Residential Center in Dilley is a privately run detention center used by ICE to house detained families. The center — which shut down in 2024 before being reopened last year — has come under scrutiny for alleged harmful conditions.
“The detainees described the inhumane and horrific conditions at Dilley detention center to the Congressman and our staff," said Schneider.
The two cases come one year after hundreds of measles cases were reported in a measles outbreak in a West Texas. A total of 99 people were hospitalized during the outbreak.
