A detainee treated at Tacoma General Hospital claims ICE detainees were exposed to tuberculosis during their stay in Anchorage. Alaska’s Department of Corrections confirmed 41 immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees were held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex starting June 8.
All detainees received tuberculosis screenings upon arrival, but no active infections were reported during intake testing. Despite initial assurances, one detainee was prescribed tuberculosis medication on July 4 after returning to the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma.
Medical records later showed he suffered severe symptoms and received emergency care three days later. His attorney Sean Quirk said ICE officials failed to inform him of the transfer or the medical situation.
He eventually located his client by calling hospitals and learning the diagnosis from an emergency room nurse. ICE’s guidelines require screening within 12 hours of arrival, but Quirk’s client underwent extended isolation and treatment despite unclear results.
The Department of Health in Washington confirmed 7 cases at the Tacoma facility had started treatment. However, they emphasized none had tested positive through laboratory confirmation. ICE has denied any confirmed outbreaks and blamed one detainee’s refusal to test for their need to cohort others.
Alaska epidemiologist Dr Michelle Rothoff said most people exposed to TB develop latent infections, which are not contagious. Still, she cautioned that tests can miss some active infections, and symptoms may develop weeks later.
Quirk claims the detainees were not given timely medical updates and that the origin of the infection remains unclear. He criticized ICE’s secrecy and called for answers about what happened during the Alaska transfer.
