Doctors Suggest More Could Have Been Done To Save Detained Migrant Boy Who Died Of The Flu
It's rare for a teenager to die of the flu. "By the time you're 16 years old, you have great immunity, and you shouldn't be dying so quickly," said Dr. Nizam Peerwani, the Tarrant County medical examiner in Fort Worth, Texas. The boy's death is one of several that's shining a light on the quality of care detained migrant children receive in U.S. custody. Meanwhile, the government is opening a new mass facility in Texas to deal with the surge in children.
The Associated Press:
Doctors Alarmed That Flu Killed Detained Migrant Teen
A 16-year-old from Guatemala died of complications of the flu while in U.S. Border Patrol custody, according to preliminary autopsy findings, alarming doctors who questioned whether immigration authorities missed warning signs or chances to save his life. Carlos Hernandez Vasquez contracted bacterial infections in addition to the flu, as well as sepsis, which can lead to tissue damage and organ failure, according to a report released by Hidalgo County authorities this week. He died May 20. A full autopsy is pending. (Merchant, 6/6)
The Associated Press:
US Opens New Mass Facility In Texas For Migrant Children
The federal government is opening a new mass facility to hold migrant children in Texas and considering detaining hundreds more youths on three military bases around the country, adding up to 3,000 new beds to the already overtaxed system. The new emergency facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, will hold as many as 1,600 teens in a complex that once housed oil field workers on government-leased land near the border, said Mark Weber, a spokesman for Office of Refugee Resettlement. (Burke, 6/6)
And the issue heats up on Capitol Hill —
The Hill:
Democrats Demand Answers From Migrant Children's Shelter Company That Hired John Kelly
Two Democratic lawmakers want the company operating the country’s largest shelter for migrant children to explain why it hired former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly to serve on its board of directors. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) sent a letter Thursday to the CEO of Caliburn International asking questions ranging from Kelly's compensation to company revenue from operating shelters for unaccompanied migrant children. (Weixel, 6/6)
Politico:
DHS Officials Tell Senators Migrants Are 'Renting Babies' To Cross The Border
Department of Homeland Security officials told senators at a lunch Wednesday that migrants are “renting babies” to speed their trip across the border, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley. “I can't believe that this actually happened, that the people down there in Central America or Mexico are renting babies to get across the border and then sending the babies back and renting them again to come back across the border,” the Iowa Republican said Thursday. (Levine, 6/6)
