© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The US Border Patrol insignia is seen on an officer’s uniform in Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US, February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
(Reuters) – An investigation into the death of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl while in US Border Patrol custody in Harlingen, Texas, shows the family was repeatedly denied an ambulance, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). He said on Thursday.
The child died May 17 after a medical emergency at the agency’s station in Harlingen, three days after he was taken from the Donna Processing Facility, near the border in Donna, Texas, for medical isolation.
The family was detained by CBP for nine days despite the agency’s policy which limited detention to 72 hours.
Two US Department of Homeland Security officials, who asked not to be identified to discuss details of the case, said the family was being held for deportation. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CBP said neither Border Patrol staff nor contract medical personnel who interacted with the family in Harlingen admitted to being aware of the girl’s medical conditions, which include sickle cell anemia and congenital heart disease.
The family reported the girl’s medical history to the Donna facility, CBP said, adding that the girl’s mother asked three or four times to call an ambulance or take the child to the hospital.
“Despite the girl’s condition, her mother’s concerns, and the series of treatments required to deal with her condition, the contracted medical staff did not transfer her to a hospital to receive higher-level care,” the statement said.
In addition, CBP said, surveillance cameras at Harlingen station were not working while the family was detained, forcing them to rely on employee interviews.
The agency said the latest details about the incident came from an ongoing investigation by CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility and are still subject to verification.