The boy, who died Tuesday, was considered an unaccompanied minor who had entered the United States. Officials refused to comment on how long he had been in the country, where his parents were or whether he entered illegally. But his death is sure to highlight the risks for the surge of Central American families who have crossed the southwestern border in recent months, overwhelming federal facilities and resources.
It was the third death of a migrant child from Guatemala in federal custody in recent months. The first two had been held in Border Patrol facilities intended for adults before they were taken to hospitals, where they died.
The 16-year-old boy had shown signs of illness while in a shelter that was managed by the Office of Refugee and Resettlement, which handles the care of migrant children, said Evelyn Stauffer, a spokeswoman for the Administration for Children and Families.
He did not show signs of health problems when he was transferred to the shelter on April 20 from the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Stauffer said in a statement.
The next day, on April 21, the boy became “noticeably ill including fever, chills and a headache,” the statement said. Officials took him to a hospital, where he was treated. He was released later that day.
He was still sick on the morning of April 22, and was brought by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The boy was then moved to a children’s hospital, where he was treated for several days in an intensive care unit. He was pronounced dead on Tuesday, April 30.
Stauffer said the boy’s family received regular updates from hospital staff. The cause of his death is being investigated by agency officials.
An 8-year-old migrant boy from Guatemala died in federal custody on Christmas Day after showing signs of sickness in a Border Patrol facility. Weeks earlier, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl died of dehydration, also while in Border Patrol custody.
Homeland Security officials have emphasized in recent months that the surge in Central American families seeking asylum has pushed their facilities beyond capacity and exhausted resources. The White House on Wednesday asked Congress to provide $4.5 billion in emergency funding for the southwestern border, including more than $2.8 billion for housing unaccompanied children in Health and Human Services shelters.
During a House Appropriations Committee hearing Tuesday, Kevin McAleenan, the acting homeland security secretary, referenced the dangerous journey that migrants are making to the southwestern border from Central America.
“The nation’s ability to humanely and compassionately care for vulnerable populations and expeditiously process and detain those who should not be admitted is being stressed to the breaking point,” McAleenan said.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.