A 7-year-old Guatemalan girl has died of dehydration and exhaustion in the custody of United States border patrol agents, prompting an outcry at the treatment of people taken into detention at the border by the US authorities.
The Washington Post reports that the girl was taken into custody along with her father and a large group of people, all of whom were trying to illegally cross the Mexican border into the US.
US Customs and Border Protection records state that the girl and her father were detained at about 10pm local time on December 6, after they and the others they were with chose to turn themselves in.
At 6:35am, more than eight hours later, the girl began to have seizures. Paramedics who arrived on the scene found her body temperature to be nearly 41C (105.7F). A statement from border patrol agents says at that point the girl “reportedly had not eaten or consumed water for several days“.
She went into cardiac arrest on the way to hospital, and though she was revived, she did not recover, and died less than 24 hours later.
The response to news of the girl’s death has been one of outrage – at the CBP’s treatment of people in its custody, at the length of time it took for the agency to release news of the girl’s death, and at America‘s overall position on illegal immigration. Democrats say they’re planning to call for a full investigation of the death.
https://twitter.com/hshermd/status/1073392066443513856
The girl, from Guatemala, was taken into custody with a group of 163 ppl who crossed south of Lordsburg, NM on Dec 6. She went into seizures 8 hours later. CBP said she hadnt had food or water “for days.” Not clear if agents provided. Just heartbreaking.
— Nick Miroff (@NickMiroff) December 14, 2018
Devastated by reports that a 7-year-old girl who was taken into @CBP custody died of dehydration and exhaustion. I’ll be asking for a full investigation by the Inspector General and Congress into the conditions and circumstances that led to her death. https://t.co/3FgNGWqbSh
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) December 14, 2018
A 7-year-old child dies while in the custody of the U.S. government. @DHSgov Secretary is coming before @HouseJudiciary next week, and we will be demanding immediate answers to this tragedy. https://t.co/5XCAavD5wB
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) December 14, 2018
A migrant girl from Guatemala died in @CBP custody last week. She had been detained for about eight hours when she began having seizures. Revived from a cardiac arrest, then died about 24 hours later. Elections have consequences. https://t.co/OTjn7PZsBJ
— Jamil Smith جميل كريم (@JamilSmith) December 14, 2018
The Department of Homeland Security released the following statement on the girl’s death:
DHS statement on the death of a 7-year-old girl in Border Patrol custody includes this request: “We are begging parents to not put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally” and to instead wait days or longer at ports of entry. pic.twitter.com/3NVwhTa3Cr
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) December 14, 2018
But the ACLU blames a “lack of accountability, and a culture of cruelty within CBP” for the girl’s death. It’s worth bearing in mind that there have been a number of documented cases of border patrol agents intentionally destroying cached water supplies along routes frequently used by people crossing the border.
A full autopsy and hospital report on the girl’s death is not expected for several weeks.