A teen migrant from Honduras who arrived in the US without a parent or accompanying guardian has died while in government custody in Florida, officials said.
Honduran secretary of foreign affairs Enrique Reina confirmed the passing of Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza on Friday and it was also acknowledged by the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“The agency expressed its condolences to the family of the deceased child and is in communication with them during this tragic time,” the agency said in a statement.
Espinoza was being held at a Florida shelter near Tampa that serves unaccompanied migrant kids, run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Details of Maradiaga’s cause of death death and the circumstances of his arrival were not yet available. It is believed to be only the second recorded death of a person in ORR custody.
Reina called for a full investigation into the death Friday, and called for “solutions” to the growing migrant crisis.
HHS officials said they are probing any available medical records related to the case and that a medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine a cause of death.
The federal agency noted that kids in their custody “have access to health care, legal services, translation services, and mental and behavioral health counselors and are able to connect with family through a phone call in a private area at a minimum of twice a week.”
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, a division of the HHS, is tasked with providing shelter for undocumented migrants who arrive in the U.S. with their parents or guardian supervision.
Children who arrive alone must be placed in one of the agency’s centers within 72 hours, according to federal regulations.
They remain in the custody of the office until they turn 18 or are taken in by a sponsor — usually a family member already in the country.
As of this week, 8,861 unaccompanied migrant children are currently in government care.
The death comes amid a migrant crisis following the expiration of Title 42, which allowed for the rapid deportation of migrants amid the coronavirus crisis.