Investigation into migrant girl's death in US Border Patrol's custody finds parents denied ambulance repeatedly

The child died on May 17 after experiencing a medical emergency at the agency’s station in Harlingen, three days after being transferred from the Donna Processing Facility, near the border in Donna, Texas, for medical isolation An investigation into the death of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl while in the custody of the US Border Patrol in Harlingen, Texas, showed that the family was repeatedly denied an ambulance, the US Customs and Border Protection said on Thursday. The child died on May 17 after experiencing a medical emergency at the agency’s station in Harlingen, three days after being transferred from the Donna Processing Facility, near the border in Donna, Texas, for medical isolation. Neither Border Patrol agents nor the contracted medical personnel who interacted with the family in Harlingen acknowledged being aware of the girl’s medical conditions, which included sickle cell anemia and congenital heart disease, CBP said. The family had reported the girl’s medical history at the Donna facility, CBP said, adding that the girl’s mother had requested three or four times that an ambulance be called or that the child be taken to a hospital.