ICE quietly scrambled for vaccine support after losing access through the VA

In procurement documents quietly published last month, Immigration and Customs revealed that the Veterans Affairs administration abruptly cut off its access to vaccines that the agency has historically provided to the people it detains. It was one of a series of medical support services that were suddenly halted, and comes amid long-standing and growing concerns about the health care provided at ICE facilities. 

ICE subsequently pursued an “emergency” procurement to access vaccines in another way, according to the contracting documents released by the government. The Department of Homeland Security, in which ICE is housed, claims there was no gap in the vaccine service provided by the agency. Still, the document is a small window into the state of ICE operations as the agency continues to ramp up immigration enforcement efforts. 

ICE had for decades secured what calls “seasonal and routine” vaccines from the VA Financial Services Center, which provides support to both the veterans agency and other federal departments. Earlier government documents, previously reported by Popular Information, show that the VA suddenly cut off services for the ICE Health Corps back in October, which created subsequent issues for both medical claims processing and the pharmacy benefits management for people detained at ICE facilities. Now, another set of documents show that disintegration of the collaboration between the VA and ICE even extended to vaccines and created what the document, as an “absolute emergency.”

ICE reveals relatively little about the extent to which it actually provides vaccines to detainees, and the agency did not comment on which particular vaccines it actually provides. The agency did distribute tens of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine doses during the height of the pandemic, but further information isn’t available. 

There are already serious concerns about the quality and extent of health services provided to ICE detainees. The transmission of illnesses—including the flu and Hep A—are well documented at ICE facilities, and the risk of an outbreak has grown as ICE has sought to round up and detain more people, overcrowding detention centers. ICE recently paused movement at one detention facility in Texas because of a measles outbreak, and the agency is facing several class action lawsuits over the state of detainees’ health care. 

“Over the years, there have been many documented outbreaks of measles, mumps, influenza, chickenpox, and other infectious diseases in detained migrants in ICE detention centers,” Nathan Lo, a Stanford professor who studies infectious diseases, tells Fast Company. “Many of these outbreaks are quite unusual which underscore that it’s these conditions that predispose to these outbreaks.” Adults are often not even offered vaccines, Lo adds.

ICE claimed in the documents, which were posted publicly in January, that the VA “abruptly and instantly terminated” the agreement in October, leaving the DHS component with no mechanism to provide vaccines to undocumented people. “It is an absolute emergency for ICE to immediately procure vaccine support because lack of this support will delay critical and life-saving vaccines,” the procurement justification said.  DHS tells Fast Company that there was never a gap in services because they were able to secure a new vendor. ICE did not answer a series of questions about its vaccine provision, including which vaccines the agency offers detainees, or provide further details about its reliance on the VA. 

When Fast Company asked the Veterans Affairs Department about the situation, the agency’s press secretary Peter Kasperowicz only said that under the new administration, the “VA does not provide any services or support to illegal immigrants. We are solely focused on providing the best possible care and benefits to the Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors we serve.” 

Under the Trump administration, ICE has aimed to deport a record number of people, which has exacerbated existing and serious concerns about the health and safety of detention centers and extremely limited oversight. More than 32 people died in ICE custody last year, making 2025 the deadliest year for the agency in decades, The Guardian reported. 

“ICE has systematically neglected—and actively harmed—the health and well-being of the people it detains for as long as the agency has existed, just like all the U.S. government agencies throughout history that have caged and deported people,” says Ana Linares, a paralegal focused on mental health care at legal access at the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, one of the groups leading lawsuits against ICE. “The only solution that centers real health and safety is to end ICE detention and allow people to pursue their immigration processes in freedom with the support and care of family and community.” 

The VA did not provide any more details over its decision to cut off vaccine support to ICE, but it’s possible the agency made the decision in the wake of Executive Order 14218, which the Trump Administration announced in February and dubbed the “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders.” The order directed agencies to analyze taxpayer-funded funds that went to “unqualified” aliens and take any appropriate actions to end those programs. In response to the order, several other agencies, including the Department of Education and the Department of Labor, began reviews of their programs.  As detailed by Popular Information, the VA had previously faced right-wing backlash for providing this service to ICE, but it’s not clear if that backlash was related to the VA’s decision. 

When asked for comment, the Department of Homeland Security said it was a long-standing practice for the agency to provide medical care to people in ICE custody, including various medical and mental health screenings and health assessments. “As we transitioned contracts, there were no gaps in medical care—including access to necessary vaccines, which are being provided. Illegal aliens in ICE custody still have access to vaccines like they always have,” Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for the agency, told Fast Company.