Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
Health

Girl, 8, dies in US Border Patrol custody, officials confirm

Migrants wait in line adjacent to the border fence under the watch of the Texas National Guard to enter into El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, May 10, 2023.  (AP Photo: Andres Leighton)

An 8-year-old girl from Panama has died in US Border Patrol custody, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) says.

The child was being held with her family in Harlingen, Texas, when she experienced "a medical emergency", the CBP said. 

She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead on Wednesday, it said. 

It said the internal affairs unit at CPB was investigating the incident, and the Homeland Security Department had been notified. 

The local judge presiding in the case said an autopsy had been ordered. 

Honduran Consul José Leonardo Navas identified the girl as Panama-born Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez.

Mr Navas said she was travelling to the US with her Honduran parents and her two older siblings. 

The girl's father reportedly told the consul she was born with heart problems, and was operated on three years ago in Panama. 

Harlingen, Texas, sits on a section of the US-Mexico border that has seen an increase in migrant crossings over the past few weeks, in expectation of a return to old policies after the lifting of Title 42.

Title 42 is a COVID-19 era policy that allowed the US to quickly expel migrants who crossed the border over the past three years.

As of May 11, US officials must detain or release people who cross the border. 

The girl's death comes a week after an unaccompanied 17-year-old Honduran boy died in US Health and Human Services Department custody.

AP/Reuters/ABC

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.