He Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, in English) of the United States Government reported this Wednesday that a migrant girl from Guatemala died on Monday in its custody due to complications from a pre-existing medical condition.
An HHS spokesperson told reporters that since the 15-year-old girl was transferred to her by border authorities in May, she had been hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital in El Paso, Texas.
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The girl, the spokesperson said, had a “significant pre-existing condition.”
“On July 7 the girl’s condition began to deteriorate and she was pronounced dead on July 10 as a result of multi-organ failure caused by complications of her underlying disease,” abounded.
The HHS indicated that the mother and a brother of the minor were with her during her hospitalization and at the time of her death.
On Tuesday, CBS television had reported on the girl’s death, citing documents sent by HHS to Congress to report the death.
📌 They confirm the death of an unaccompanied migrant minor in federal government custody: it is the fourth so far this year.
— First Impact (@FirstImpact) July 12, 2023
minors in custody
Children who enter the US alone are placed in the custody of HHS, which is responsible for their care and family reunification.
The death of the Guatemalan minor follows the death of a Honduran teenager who was in HHS custody at a Florida shelter on May 10.
Immigration authorities have also reported the deaths of several undocumented minors who entered with their parents or guardians.
On June 17, a 9-year-old migrant boy traveling with his mother and brother died after the family became lost in the Arizona desert and ran out of food and water.
Another case
Likewise, a Guatemalan infanta and her mother drowned on July 1 in the Río Grande border, in the Eagle Pass area (Texas).
On May 17, the eight-year-old Panamanian girl Anadith Danay Reyes, who suffered from sickle cell anemia and a heart condition, died in the custody of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Harlingen (Texas) facility. intended to retain migrants with contagious diseases.
The case generated protests from activists and defenders of migrants because the girl’s mother requested several times that they take the little girl to the hospital.
Fernando García, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), expressed this Wednesday his “outrage over the death of another minor in United States custody,” alluding to the Guatemalan girl.
“Once again, our country’s leadership has failed to recognize the humanity of migrants, causing irreparable losses at the US-Mexico border”said García, and urged the Administration of President Joe Biden to establish reception centers in the region to avoid further loss of human life.
