Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

7 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

8 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

8 hours ago

Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut and Spending Bill Wins Congressional Approval

9 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

12 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

12 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

13 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

13 hours ago
8-Year-Old Girl Dies in Border Patrol Custody in Texas, as Agency Struggles With Overcrowding
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
May 18, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

MCALLEN, Texas — A little girl from Panama born with heart problems died at a Border Patrol station Wednesday, the second death of a child from Latin America in U.S. government custody in two weeks.

The 8-year-old girl and her family were being held in Harlingen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the busiest corridors for migrant crossings, the Border Patrol’s parent agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said.

Details Surrounding the Girl’s Death

The girl experienced “ a medical emergency ” and died at a hospital, the agency said.

An autopsy has been ordered, said Jesus T. “Chuy” Garcia, Jr., the local judge presiding in the case.

The girl’s name was Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez, said Honduran Consul José Leonardo Navas, who is based in McAllen, Texas. He said she is from Panama, although her parents are from Honduras. The consul said that she was traveling with her father, mother and two older siblings.

She was born with heart problems and was operated on three years ago in Panama, according to her father who spoke with the consul.

Investigation into the Incident

Customs and Border Protection’s internal affairs office will investigate the girls’ death in Texas, and the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general and Harlingen police have been notified, Miller said. Sgt. Larry Moore, a spokesman for the Harlingen Police Department, said he had no information about the death.

Her death comes a week after a 17-year-old Honduran boy, Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza, who was traveling alone, died in U.S. Health and Human Services Department custody.

Rising Migrant Numbers and Policy Changes

In recent weeks the U.S. has struggled with large numbers of migrants coming to the border in expectation of the end of Title 42, a regulation that had curbed migration during the pandemic.

Last week, the Border Patrol began releasing migrants in the U.S. without notices to appear in immigration court, instead directing them to report to an immigration office within 60 days. The move spares Border Patrol agents time-consuming processing duties, allowing them to open space in holding facilities. A federal judge in Florida ordered an end to the quick releases.

Deaths of Children in US Custody; A Recurring Issue

The Border Patrol had 28,717 people in custody on May 10, the day before pandemic-related asylum restrictions expired, which was double from two weeks earlier, according to a court filing. By Sunday, the number had dropped 23% to 22,259, still unusually high.

The average time in custody on Sunday was 77 hours, five hours more than the maximum allowed under agency policy.

During the Trump administration, the deaths of children in U.S. custody became flashpoints of controversy, calling into question the administration’s efforts to protect the most vulnerable migrants at a time when the U.S. was seeing a rise in the number of families with children coming to the southern border.

Past Incidents of Child Deaths in US Custody

In December of 2018, a 7-year-old girl , Jakelin Amei Rosmery Caal Maquin, died after being picked up by U.S. Border Patrol authorities in a remote section of New Mexico after she had crossed the border with her father.

Just a few weeks later, another boy from Guatemala — Felipe Gomez Alonzo — died on Christmas Eve after being apprehended with his father a week earlier in Texas.

Juan de León Gutiérrez, 16, died on April 30 after officials noticed he was sick at a youth detention facility operated by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The medical examiner in Corpus Christi, Texas, said Juan had been diagnosed with a rare condition known as Pott’s puffy tumor, which can be caused by a severe sinus infection or head trauma.

In May a 2 1/2-year-old boy died after several weeks in the hospital. Wilmer Josue Ramirez Vasquez had been struggling with a high fever and difficulty breathing, and authorities took him to a children’s hospital where he was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Then, later in May 2019, a 16-year-old Guatemala migrant died in U.S. custody. Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez had been held by immigration authorities for six days — twice as long as federal law generally permits — then transferred him to another holding facility even after he was diagnosed with the flu.

Later in 2019, Health and Human Services said a 10-year-old girl, Darlyn Cristabel Cordova-Valle, had died the year before in U.S. custody.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

DON'T MISS

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

DON'T MISS

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

DON'T MISS

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

DON'T MISS

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

DON'T MISS

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

DON'T MISS

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

DON'T MISS

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

DON'T MISS

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

UP NEXT

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

UP NEXT

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

UP NEXT

US Judge Blocks Trump Asylum Ban at US-Mexico Border, Says He Exceeded Authority

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

Homeland Security Secretary Noem Says CNN May Be Prosecuted Over Report on Migration App

UP NEXT

A Path Forward on Immigration Reform That Strengthens America

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

UP NEXT

Catholic Bishops Try to Rally Opposition to Trump’s Immigration Agenda

UP NEXT

CA’s Population Shrank in Trump’s First Immigration Crackdown. It Could Happen Again

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

5 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

6 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

6 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

6 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

6 hours ago

Over 100 Former Senior Officials Warn Against Planned Staff Cuts at US State Department

6 hours ago

US Electric Vehicle Tax Breaks Will Expire on Sept. 30

7 hours ago

‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Actor Michael Madsen Dies at 67

8 hours ago

Fresno Police Recover Some of the $40,000 in Fireworks Stolen From Bullard High Team

8 hours ago

Eyeing Arctic Dominance, Trump Bill Earmarks $8.6 Billion for US Coast Guard Icebreakers

8 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

A two-vehicle collision sent a woman driving one of the vehicles to the hospital with a head injury Thursday afternoon in Fresno. Fresno pol...

3 hours ago

A crash causes a traffic jam in northwest Fresno on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (GV Wire/Paul Marshall)
3 hours ago

Fresno Crash Involving Unlicensed Teen Driver Sends Woman to Hospital

The Madre Fire near New Cuyama has burned 52,593 acres with 5% containment, prompting evacuation orders in several San Luis Obispo County zones as of Thursday, July 3, 2025, afternoon. (CalFire)
4 hours ago

Madre Fire Burns More Than 52,000 Acres in San Luis Obispo County

4 hours ago

RIP John Harris: Fresno County Rancher, Racehorse Breeder Was a Visionary Leader Who Leaves a ‘Profound Legacy’

5 hours ago

Valadao, Costa Spar on What Passage of Trump’s Bill Means for Medicaid Recipients

An ICE agent talks with migrants about their scheduled appointments with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Father’s Day, to learn about their immigration status, in Chicago, Illinois., U.S., June 15, 2025. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

US Military Says 200 Marines Being Sent to Support ICE in Florida

Boeing logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Boeing Secures $2.8 Billion US Satellite Contract

6 hours ago

Kaweah Health Names Its New Chief Nurse. She’s From Texas

Clovis Police are searching for Pathmani Goonawardena, 82, who went missing nearly three weeks ago and was last seen driving a white Volvo near Copper and Auberry, possibly en route to Coarsegold. (CHP)
6 hours ago

Clovis Police Say At-Risk Missing Woman Found Dead in Mariposa County

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend