10-month-old Guatemalan baby dies while parents tried crossing US-Mexico border illegally

A 10-month-old baby from Guatemala died in Border Patrol custody shortly after the child’s parents came across the U.S.-Mexico border last week, according to federal authorities.

The death in custody happened Friday after the family of three illegally crossed the border in Hidalgo, Texas. The group was intercepted by a National Guard soldier, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman from the Rio Grande Valley disclosed to the Washington Examiner Monday morning.

“The Guardsman noticed that the child, a 10-month-old citizen of Guatemala, was unresponsive. The National Guardsman immediately radioed for medical assistance,” CBP wrote in a statement.

A Border Patrol agent responded and then called in an emergency medical technician. The family was transported to meet the EMT, who gave the baby CPR for 20 minutes but was not able to revive the child. Emergency responders from MedCare were also unable to revive the child and declared the baby deceased.

The parents told CBP afterward that the baby had stopped breathing approximately 30 minutes before they were encountered by the soldier, though CBP did not reveal how long the family had been in the United States or how long they may have been searching for help. The child had been sick for approximately six days, exhibiting a fever, vomiting, and diarrhea prior to crossing into the U.S.

The death is one of a dozen in Border Patrol custody over the past three months. Last week, a Nicaraguan man suffering from a heat-related illness died at a hospital in Yuma, Arizona, shortly after coming across the border.

CBP is investigating both incidents, as is normal procedure following a death in custody

Source: THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER