This archive report was first published on 21 December 2019.
Published on December 21, 2019, a report by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general found no misconduct by officials in the deaths of two migrant children, Felipe and Jakelin, who died in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody in 2018.
On December 18, 2018, Felipe and his father were detained by immigration authorities. Days later, on December 24, a border patrol agent noticed that the child appeared ill and interviewed the father, who requested medical treatment for his son.
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was found to have an upper respiratory infection. He was prescribed amoxicillin and acetaminophen, but the hospital staff then discharged the child, who was returned to the U.S.B.P. facility.
At the border patrol facility, the authorities obtained and administered the boy's medicine, but he 'improved briefly, and subsequently worsened.' For the second time, the boy was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The cause of death was 'sepsis caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria,' according to the report. An autopsy report for Felipe also mentioned complications from the flu as a cause of death.
Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, expressed concerns about the conditions and lack of medical facilities at the border, stating that migrant children are being treated with less than basic humane care and are dying as a result.
