A 7-year-old Guatemalan girl, who was in the custody of the American authorities, died. The Washington Post reported on Thursday (13), citing the United States Border Guard (CBP), that it was a victim of "dehydration and shock."
Foreign Ministry sources told Associate Press that the girl's name is Jackeline Caal. She had been detained in New Mexico after illegally crossing the border with her father and a group of migrants.
The child, who had been without food and drink for several days, began convulsions about eight hours after being detained. Jackeline was sent to a hospital, but the doctors could not save her.
The emergency department found that the temperature of the girl reached 41º C, according to the Post.
Her father is in El Paso, Texas, waiting for a meeting with representatives of the Guatemalan consulate, the paper, which heard sources from CBP investigating the case, said. The identities of the girl and her father were not revealed.
US President Donald Trump has made zero tolerance for illegal immigration one of the cornerstones of his administration, prompting criticism and accusations that it demonizes migrants for political gain.
A caravan of thousands of Central American migrants caught the eye. They arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, south of San Diego, California, in a challenge to Trump, who denounces an "invasion."
But migrants, fleeing poverty and violence, risk their lives on dangerous journeys through New Mexico, Texas and Arizona to reach the United States.
CBP expressed condolences about the girl's death. "As parents, our brothers and sisters, we identify with the death of any child," CBP spokesman Andrew Meehan said. "Border guards have done their utmost to save the child.
To contain the migrants, President Trump defends the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico. In the Trump project, the work would be financed by the Mexican government, which does not accept the proposal.
He has ordered the mobilization of thousands of soldiers and has separated more than 2,000 migrant children from their parents as part of the "zero tolerance" policy with illegal immigra
