A port-mortem examination will be performed to determine the cause of death of a seven-year-old migrant girl who suffered seizures in immigration custody on the US-Mexico border and spi
By Colleen Long and Astrid Galvan, Associated Press
December 14 2018 2:24 PM
A port-mortem examination will be performed to determine the cause of death of a seven-year-old migrant girl who suffered seizures in immigration custody on the US-Mexico border and spiked a high fever, officials said.
The girl was found on December 6 near Lordsburg, New Mexico, by US Border Patrol agents. She was in custody for about eight hours before she began having seizures, Customs and Border Patrol officials said.
Emergency medical technicians discovered the girl’s fever was 40.9C, and she was airlifted to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, where she died.
The girl appeared to be dehydrated and suffering from shock and apparently had not had anything to eat or drink in days, officials said. The results of the post-mortem could take weeks, they added.
US Customs and Border Protection officials said the girl had been travelling with her father, correcting an earlier statement that said she was unaccompanied.
The Guatemalan girl’s death comes as increasing numbers of children and families are making the dangerous trek north from Central America and as US immigration officials are being increasingly criticised for their treatment of migrants who arrive at the US-Mexico border.
A review of what happened in the girl’s case will take place, federal officials said.
“On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, our sincerest condolences go out to the family of the child,” said a statement from the parent department of the Border Patrol.
