An eight-year-old girl who had crossed the southern border with her family died in Border Patrol custody in Texas on Wednesday, according to border officials, an incident which comes just days after a teenage migrant from Honduras died at a government-run shelter.
A child watches as a U.S. Border Patrol agent searches a fellow Central American immigrant after ... [+]
In a statement, Customs and Border Protection officials said the child and her family were in custody at the Border Patrol station in Harlingen, Texas when she “experienced a medical emergency.”
The girl was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The agency is investigating the death and will release “additional information” later, the statement added.
Last week, an unaccompanied 17-year-old migrant who had traveled from Honduras died at a shelter run by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Florida. Honduran President Enrique Reina identified the teenager as Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza. The Office of Refugee Resettlement is reviewing the deceased 17-year-old’s healthcare records and other clinical details, while the HHS said there is an ongoing medical examiner investigation into the death. The deaths of the two minors follow the end of Title 42, the pandemic-era border restriction which allowed officials to quickly expel migrants entering through the southern border. Border officials have warned that overcrowding at holding facilities might get worse due to the expiration of the rule. A purported attempt by the Biden administration to deal with this issue by releasing a small number of vetted asylum seekers on parole is facing a lawsuit from the Florida Attorney General.