Second migrant child dies in US custody, CBP reports
8-year-old child from Guatemala was reportedly suffering from a cold and fever.
A 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who crossed into the United States last month died in U.S. custody after falling ill in a government shelter in Texas, a report said Wednesday.
The teen died Tuesday after spending several days in intensive care at a children’s hospital, Health and Human Services spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said in a statement. The boy’s name and the hospital where he was treated was not released.
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The teen crossed the border near El Paso, Texas, on April 19 and was taken to a shelter in Brownsville, according to Guatemala's Foreign Ministry.
He had no health issues when he was transferred from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody to a shelter run by the Department of Health and Human Services, which cares for migrant children, the Los Angeles Times reported. He developed a fever, chills and a headache and was treated and released.
“The minor’s health did not improve after being transferred back to the shelter so on the morning of April 22, 2019, the minor was taken to another hospital emergency department via ambulance,” Stauffer said. “Later that day the minor was transferred to a children’s hospital in Texas and was treated for several days in the hospital’s intensive care unit.”
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Guatemalan officials said he had a severe infection in his brain and had emergency brain surgery. While in the hospital, he was visited by his brother and Guatemalan consular officials.
The death comes months after the deaths of two other migrant children who fell ill in government custody. In December, Jakelin Caal Maquin, 7, and 8-year-old Felipe Gómez Alonzo both died in the care of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Both children arrived from Guatemala with their fathers.
Border officials said they were struggling to cope with the influx of Central American families, with Border Patrol apprehending a record-setting 53,000 families in March.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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