Women migrants in a Texas detention center (Department of Homeland Security)


Almost 900 migrants have been exposed to mumps while detained in the past year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported the outbreak in a “Notes From the Field” update, citing 898 confirmed and probable mumps cases among adult migrants in 57 of 315 facilities with detainees across 19 states between September 1, 2018 and August 22, 2019.

“Mumps outbreaks are ongoing in 15 facilities in seven states, and new introductions into detention facilities through detainees who are transferred or exposed before being taken into custody continue to occur,” the CDC said in a statement.

Almost 400 of the cases were in Texas, where legislators, journalists, activists, and even the Government’s Department of Homeland Security have documented overcrowded and inhumane conditions.

The CDC said the CDC, the outbreak began in October, starting with five cases where migrants were transferred between two Texas centers.

Four of the affected facilitiesare run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Another 34 are run by private companies contracted by ICE, and 19 are county jails.

There have been about 150 mumps outbreaks and 16,000 cases in the US since 2015. Mosthave occurred in universities, schools, and at athletic events.

Mumps is a contagious viral infection, with swelling of the glands, notably in the side of the face. Most people recover completely within two weeks, but the virus can be serious, especially for adults: in rare cases, there can be permanent loss of hearing or inflammation of the brain — encephalitis — which can lead to death or permanent disability.

The outbreak brings further attention to the disease and lack of hygiene and proper food and water in the detention centers under the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.

Court orders have finally allowed legislators and journalists into some of the Texas facilities where thousands of men, women, and children are held. Flu, outbreaks of lice, and other illnesses are common, with diets of bologna sandwiches and no running water. Women were drinking out of toilets because faucets were broken, and toddlers — relying on care by older children — were in dirty diapers and clothing stained with mucus.

Despite the revelations, the Administration is pressing ahead with plans to expand detention. Last week it revealed plans for indefinite detention of undocumented immigrant families.

See TrumpWatch, Day 945: Trump Administration Plans for Indefinite Detention of Immigrant Families
TrumpWatch, Day 899: Trump Denies Reality of Inhumane Conditions for Migrants