Migrant Child Dies In Federal Custody, Marking Third Such Death In Two Months
Jennie Taer on May 18, 2023
A migrant child died in federal custody, marking the third such death in roughly two months, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
An eight-year-old girl died in Border Patrol custody in Harlingen, Texas, after experiencing a medical emergency, CBP said in a statement late Wednesday. This is the third migrant child to die in the past two months, after a migrant child died in federal custody days before, and another died in mid-March.
“Consistent with CBP protocol, the Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an investigation of the incident. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the Harlingen Police Department were also notified. Additional information will be made available in accordance with CBP’s policy regarding deaths in custody,” CBP said in the statement.
The latest incident in Harlingen, Texas, involved a child who was under Border Patrol custody alongside her family at the southern border, according to CBP. Emergency medical personnel transported the ill migrant child to a nearby hospital, where she was subsequently pronounced dead.
Another migrant child, 17-year-old Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza of Honduras died in Health and Human Services (HHS) custody, CBP said Friday. A 4-year-old Honduran child also died in HHS custody from cardiac arrest in mid-March, according to CBS News.
Between October 2022 and April, Border Patrol agents recorded more than 81,000 encounters of unaccompanied migrant children at the southern border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
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