Guatemalan Migrant Teen Dies in US Custody, Cause of Death Unknown - Border Agency
A Guatemalan migrant child died on Monday in US government custody at a border patrol center in the state of Texas, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a press release
"A 16-year-old Guatemalan national passed away this morning at the Weslaco Station in the US Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector," the release said. "He was found un-responsive this morning during a welfare check."
The exact cause of death is not known at this time, the release added.
US border patrol agents apprehended the child on May 13 near Hidalgo, Texas, before processing him for illegal entry and transferring him to the Weslaco Border Patrol Station, CBP said.
Before his death, the child was due to be placed in a facility run by the Department of Health and Human Services, the release added.
CBP pledged to conduct an independent and thorough review of the circumstances of the boy's death.
The child was the fifth underage minor to die in US custody or shortly after release since December.