Outbreaks in U.S. Migrant Detention Centers — A Vaccine-Preventable Cause of Health Inequity

Abstract

Rates of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases are high among migrants detained in the United States. In 2022, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained more than 300,000 migrants, housing them in detention centres with unfavourable environmental conditions that increase the risk of infectious disease transmission and outbreaks due to overcrowding, poor ventilation and lack of sanitation. In addition, detained migrants often have poor access to medical care, including vaccination. During the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, ICE began publicly reporting the numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths. At the beginning of the pandemic, the incidence of Covid-19 in the migrant detainee population was 13 times higher than in the general US population.