- 2 people held at a Texas facility died after a gang fight.
- The entire US
federal prison system was locked down as a response.
The entire US federal
Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Kristie Breshears told The New York Times on Monday: "In an abundance of caution, the Bureau of Prisons (B.O.P.) is securing our facilities as a temporary measure to ensure the good order of our institutions."
She told The Times that the move came after two people died in a Monday gang fight at USP Beaumont, a high-security penitentiary in Beaumont, Texas.
The Associated Press reported, citing two people with knowledge of the situation that the fight involved members of the MS-13 gang. Authorities decided to do a lockdown due to fears of retaliation, the AP reported.
The lockdown means people held at the facilities are kept in their cells most of the time and are allowed no visitors, the AP reported.
The lockdown applies to 120 facilities, the Times and the AP reported.
It is not clear when the lockdown will lift, but Breshears told The Times: "We anticipate this security measure will be short-lived."