U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are investigating the death of an 8-year-old migrant girl who died in the custody of border patrol officials while trying to emigrate with her family from Honduras to New York on May 17.
According to a CBP press release issued May 9, the family of five was apprehended near the Gateway International Port of Entry in Brownsville, Texas. The family members were all Honduran citizens, except for Anadith Tanay Reyes Álvarez, 8, a Panamanian citizen. They were taken into custody and transported to the Donna Processing Facility, where Anadith's mother told officials the girl was suffering from abdominal pain, nasal congestion, and cough. She tested positive for Influenza, and the CBP transferred the entire family to the Harlingen Border Patrol Station.
On May 17, Anadith visited the medical unit at the Harlingen station multiple times, reporting vomiting and abdominal pain. During her third visit, she experienced a seizure and became unresponsive. She was pronounced dead on the scene. Now, the Welcome With Dignity Campaign is seeking justice.
"Anadith deserves to be alive today. Border Patrol staff ignored the minimum safeguards for protecting the lives in their custody," Bilal Askaryar, interim campaign manager of the campaign for asylum rights, said in a statement.
Several vice presidents, directors and managers also weighed in, and Askaryar stressed the importance of "upholding minimum safeguards and ensuring that families like Anadith's are treated with care and respect." The campaign also urged a transparent and timely investigation into her death.
According to a release by CBP, early autopsy results indicated the absence of gross physical trauma and the presence of pleural effusions in the chest cavity. The autopsy also mentioned evidence of surgical repair for aortic stenosis and referenced her history of sickle cell anemia. Further forensic tests are underway to determine the exact cause of death.
CBP is investigating the circumstances surrounding the family's time in custody, the release added.
