26 December 2018•Update: 26 December 2018
By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began conducting secondary medical checks on migrant children after two children died in their custody.
The CBP said in a statement Tuesday it would conduct checks on all children in their custody, with a focus on those less than 10 years old.
The announcement followed the death of a Guatemalan boy, who reportedly died after being apprehended by border agents with his family for illegally crossing into the U.S.
According to the agency, the child showed “signs of potential illness” Monday and was taken to a hospital in New Mexico, where he died the next day.
Another Guatemalan child died last week in U.S. custody of apparent septic shock.
The CBP statement also called for support from other agencies, including the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to conduct medical checks.
"We need a different approach," CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan told CBS News. "We need help from Congress. We need to budget for medical care, and for mental health care for children in our facilities."
Migrants from Central America have been increasingly seeking to reach the U.S. amid widespread poverty and gang violence in the region.
Large groups collectively known as "caravans" have drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has deployed military personnel along the border in a bid to thwart potential illegal crossings.
The two deaths have surfaced during a partial government shutdown due to a dispute between Congress and U.S. President Donald Trump, who is requesting $5 billion to fund a wall that separates the southern border with Mexico.
