8-Year-Old Dies in Hospital After Illegally Crossing Border Into US

An 8-year-old boy has died in the hospital after he and his father illegally crossed the border into the United States, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said in a statement.

The boy from Guatemala died on Dec. 25 at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Officials said the boy, who was in CBP custody, started showing signs of “a potential illness” on Dec. 24. He was promptly transferred to the medical center where he was diagnosed with a common cold and a fever by hospital staff. The child was observed for an additional 90 minutes in the hospital and was given prescriptions for amoxicillin and Ibuprofen, before he was released from the hospital in the afternoon of Dec. 24.

Later that day, the child started vomiting and showing signs of nausea. He was readmitted to the hospital and died there hours later.

The CBP said the child’s cause of death is not yet known. It added that the agency will be conducting a review of the incident and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the inspector general has been notified.

Border Patrol has not released information on when the father and son entered the United States and how long they’ve been in CBP custody.

Alamogordo is about 90 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas.

DHS Asks Parents to Stop Putting Children at Risk

In a similar case, a 7-year-old girl died after traveling through Mexico and crossing the border illegally with her father. Jakelin Caal Maquin and her father, Nery Caal, were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in the New Mexico desert on Dec. 6, as part of a larger group of 163 illegal aliens.

Caal signed a government form saying his daughter was healthy during initial screening. The group was cared for at a facility at a nearby port of entry, Antelope Wells, that included access to restrooms, food, and water.

Hours later, the pair were transported by bus to the nearest Border Patrol Station in Lordsburg—which is approximately 90 minutes away.

Before departing, Caal told agents his daughter was feeling sick and had begun vomiting. And according to him, his daughter had not been able to consume food and water for days.

After arriving at the border patrol station, Caal told agents that his daughter had stopped breathing. She was twice revived by Border Patrol emergency medical technicians or EMTs and airlifted to a Texas hospital. While in the hospital, the girl was revived after going into cardiac arrest but she died less than 24 hours later. The hospital said the girl likely died from septic shock.

The Department of Homeland Security said the loss of life shows the danger of entering the United States outside ports of entries, adding, “We are begging parents not to put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally.”

Similarly, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan stressed the dangers posed by traveling long distances, on crowded transportation, or in the natural elements in a statement on Dec. 14.

“No one should risk injury, or even death, by crossing our border unlawfully.  This is why I asked Congress on Tuesday to change our laws so that the United States is not incentivizing families to take this dangerous path,” McAleenan said.

“Border Patrol agents save thousands of people every year who are overcome by the elements, including people found suffering from dehydration, heat stroke, hypothermia, drowning in the river, injuries, and left for dead by these smugglers in some of the most remote areas of our border as they enter the country illegally. Our agents have world-class rescue and medical training, and are committed to saving those put in distress by callous smugglers.”