A 45-year-old Mexican national detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection died Monday at a medical facility in McAllen, Tex., after twice seeking medical attention, the agency reported.
The fatality followed the deaths in December of two migrant children in government custody, which prompted a vow from CBP to conduct health checks on all children in its “care and custody,” as the agency’s commissioner, Kevin K. McAleenan, said at the time. The fate of those two children, both from Guatemala, renewed concerns about the “zero-tolerance” immigration policy pursued by President Trump.
Another death is likely to raise fresh questions for the border control organization at the forefront of that policy, especially as the president crusades for a wall at the southern border. Trump’s critics point to a humanitarian crisis fomented by his own hard-line approach, rather than a crisis of illegal entries that he falsely claims is overwhelming the Southwestern United States.
View the complete February 19 article by Isaac Stanley-Becker on The Washington Post website here.