Washington - An 8-year-old Guatemalan
migrant boy died early on Christmas Day after being detained by
US border agents, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
said, the second migrant child to die in US detention this
month.
The boy and his father were in CBP custody on Monday when a
Border Patrol agent noticed the child showing signs of illness,
CBP said in a statement. The father and son were taken to the
Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, New
Mexico, where the boy was diagnosed with a common cold and
fever, and eventually released by hospital staff.
But later that evening, the boy began vomiting and was
transferred back to the hospital. He died there early on
Tuesday, CBP said, adding that the official cause of death was
not known.
The father and son were not identified, and the agency said
it would release more details "as available and appropriate."
Guatemalan officials have been notified of the death, CBP said.
The boy's death followed the death in early December of
7-year-old Jakelin Caal, also from Guatemala. She died after
being detained along with her father by US border agents in a
remote part of New Mexico.
After the second death, the CPB announced that it was
developing several policy changes, CNN reported early on
Wednesday.
It will conduct secondary medical checks on all children in
its custody, with a focus on children under 10, CNN reported.
The agency will also work with Immigration and Customs
Enforcement to improve custody options, such as better
transportation to Family Residential Centers and supervised
release, and working with non-governmental agencies for housing.
No immediate comment was available from CPB officials.
Guatemala's Foreign Ministry said its consul in Phoenix was
seeking to interview the boy's father, to whom it pledged to
give all necessary consular assistance and protection. In a
statement, the ministry said it also requested medical reports
to clarify the cause of death.
According to the ministry, the boy and his father entered
the United States via El Paso, Texas, on December 18 and were
transferred to a border patrol station in Alamogordo on December 23.
The Trump administration has tried to deter people from
crossing the border between ports of entry illegally to seek
asylum, while at the same time restricting legal access to
official ports of entry. That has created a months-long wait for
asylum applicants, including those who came as part of a large
caravan of Central Americans this year.
Jakelin Caal's funeral was being held in her family's
village in Guatemala.
Her death fueled criticism of President Donald Trump's
immigration policies from Democrats and migrant advocates. The
Trump administration said Caal's death showed the danger of her
journey and the family's decision to cross the border illegally.
That death is being investigated by the Department of
Homeland Security's Inspector General, which looks into
accusations of misconduct by the agency's employees.
CBP said on Tuesday that the Guatemalan boy's death is being
reviewed by the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility,
and that the Inspector General has been notified of the death.
It was not immediately known if the watchdog would open an
investigation.