Further investigation shows that the 8-year-old Guatemalan boy that died in United States’ custody had been detained for almost a week, breaking Border Patrol policy, Business Insider is reporting. Felipe Gomez Alonzo was arrested with his father, Agustin Gomez, on December 18. Alonzo passed away late on Christmas Eve after being transferred between three different holding facilities and a hospital. According to Customs and Border Protection rules, “detainees should generally not be held for longer than 72 hours in CBP hold rooms or holding facilities,” and “every effort must be made to hold detainees for the least amount of time required for their processing, transfer, release, or repatriation as appropriate and as operationally feasible.”
Numerous reports have surfaced the past few months stating that hundreds of people, including children, were being held longer than this, violating the agency’s own protocol. Border Patrol has responded to these allegations by claiming the U.S. is seeing an increase in immigrants attempting to enter the country and is struggling to adapt to this surge. In addition, they are having trouble maintaining a backlogged system for placing children in longer-term shelters.
“DHS has continued to see a dramatic increase in unaccompanied children and family units arriving at our borders illegally or without authorization,” Customs and Border Protection said in a statement on Tuesday. “Consistent with existing law, these individuals are held at federal facilities pending their removal or release into the interior of the United States with a notice to appear at a court hearing.”
Border patrol orders medical checks on all kids after death of second child. https://t.co/ze2IZPtVSr
— Slate (@Slate) December 26, 2018
CBP has also expressed their “deepest sympathies” following Alonzo’s death and claim to be reevaluating the policies in place for detaining a child younger than 10-years-old, especially if their detainment lasts for longer than 24 hours. CBP says they first noticed Alonzo had a cough and “glossy eyes” on the morning of December 24. Alonzo was transferred to a hospital in New Mexico within half an hour after agents noticed his symptoms. The hospital reportedly diagnosed Alonzo with a simple cold and provided the boy with Tylenol.
Upon further evaluation, however, Alonzo was found to have a fever of 103 degrees and was held longer for observation before eventually being released from the hospital at 3 p.m. He was prescribed amoxicillin, an antibiotic, and the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. Alonzo was given these medications by 5 p.m., but by 7 p.m. he began to vomit. Alonzo’s father reportedly declined further medical intervention, but the boy became “lethargic and nauseous” by 11 p.m. and was taken back to the hospital by Border Patrol agents. Alonzo is said to have lost consciousness on the ride to the hospital and was pronounced dead at 11:48 p.m.
This is the second child to die in Border Patrol custody this month, with 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin passing away on December 8. Maquin allegedly did not receive medical care until 90 minutes after she began to show symptoms.
