Texas authorities confirmed a child’s death in a statement Friday but did not say where the child was from or why they became ill.
A 3-year-old child riding one of Texas’ migrant buses died while on the way to Chicago, officials said Friday, the first time the state has announced a death since it began shuttling thousands of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border last year.
Texas authorities confirmed a child’s death in a statement Friday but did not say where the child was from or why they became ill. The Illinois Department of Public Health said the child was 3 years old and died Thursday in Marion County, in the southern part of that state.
“Every loss of life is a tragedy,” the Texas Division of Emergency Management said in a statement. “Once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 9-1-1 for emergency attention.”
Texas has bused more than 30,000 migrants to Democratic-controlled cities across the U.S. since last year as part of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s sprawling mission on the border, called Operation Lone Star. The operation has come under a burst of new scrutiny in recent months over additional hard-line measures the governor has authorized in the name of deterring migrants from crossing from Mexico.
The Biden administration is suing Texas over wrecking ball-sized buoys placed on the Rio Grande this summer, saying the water barrier poses environmental and humanitarian concerns.
