You'd think that if illegal immigrants crossing the southern border are bringing in these diseases, we'd see regular outbreaks in cities on both sides of the border instead of in a much more northern known anti-vax enclave?

Even the affected parents are accepting responsibility and calling it an "inbreak" rather than an "outbreak".

According to this World Bank data[1], the measles vaccination rates in the countries that are the top sources [2] of illegal immigration in the US:

* United States: 92% vaccination

* Washington State: 90.6% vaccination

* Mexico (55% of illegal immigrants): 96% vaccination

* El Salvador (6% of illegal immigrants): 85%

* Guatemala (5% of illegal immigrants): 86%

* India (4% of illegal immigrants): 88%

* Honduras (3% of illegal immigrants): 97%

* Philippines (3% of illegal immigrants): 89%

So I’d say that theory is not strongly supported by the evidence. But it’s entirely appropriate to evaluate the possibility, and there could very well be a lower vaccination rate among illegal immigrant populations. Had you phrased your point differently — as a matter of inquiry into the epidemiology — it likely would’ve been received better. Also, your post made no real attempt to quantify the real and well documented phenomenon of philosophical/cultural objections to vaccination among the citizen population in Washington, which is surely relevant!

[1] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.IMM.MEAS?view=map

[2] https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Unautho...

Seattle times published data of percentage of unvaccinated children in Seattle schools (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/are-measles-a...).

Each and every school in top 10 is a private school. In Seattle, private schools cost an average of $25k/year. I bet illegal immigrants are not sending their children to the private schools that cost $25k every year when public schools are free.

The top schools is Waldorf which costs $20k/year for grade 1-8 and $25k for 9-12. This fee is only for 9 months of school. This school has 22% unvaccinated children. I bet there are exactly 0 children in this school from illegal immigrant families.

From what has been reported on the news, it's only children that have come down with measles in Washington State. No reports of adults so far.

US schools must accept any and all undocumented immigrant children into K-12 schools. This was a 1982 US Supreme Court ruling. So immigration status shouldn't be a barrier to vaccination for children. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plyler_v._Doe

That's weird because there has been a whole disinformation campaign pushing exactly that idea, even though it's totally bogus and people in most other countries are grateful as hell for the opportunity to get their kids vaccinated.

Looks like you got downvoted by the usual anti-science politically-correct contingent here on HN, but you’re right to investigate that possibility. Here’s an analysis of the last major outbreak in the early 90s that shows how huge a factor unvaccinated undocumented Hispanics were : https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001675.htm