An 8-year-old girl died Wednesday after experiencing a “medical emergency” while she and her family were in U.S. Border Patrol custody in Texas, officials said.
Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez, who is from Panama, was traveling with her parents, who are from Honduras, and two older siblings, Honduran Consul José Leonardo Navas told The Associated Press. Her father said she was born with heart problems and had an operation in Panama three years ago, Navas told the outlet.
Emergency medical services were called to a facility in Harlingen, Texas, where the family was being held, and the girl was transported to a hospital where she was pronounced dead, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The agency did not provide more information about the incident.
The agency’s office of professional responsibility is investigating the incident and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the Harlingen Police Department have been notified, according to the statement. A spokesperson for the Harlingen Police Department told USA TODAY the call came in through 911, it was immediately transferred to EMS and police did not respond because it was a medical emergency.
Jesus T. “Chuy” Garcia Jr., the local judge presiding in the case, told The Associated Press an autopsy has been ordered.
The girl’s death comes a week after a 17-year-old unaccompanied Honduran migrant died in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ custody after being found unconscious at a shelter in Safety Harbor, Florida, according to a statement from Honduran officials and a congressional notice obtained by CNN. The department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement is investigating that case and the department is awaiting the results of the medical examiner’s final report, a spokesperson for the department said in a statement to USA TODAY.
President Joe Biden predicted last week that it will be “chaotic” at the U.S. Mexico border for a while after the end of a pandemic-era immigration restriction, which made it easier to expel migrants. So far, an expected surge of migrants has not occurred, and in the four days since Title 42 ended, the number of migrants crossing illegally dropped by 50%, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
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Contributing: Maureen Groppe and Michael Collins, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
