A seven-year-old girl died in Border Patrol custody, she had not been given food and water for several days

News24xx.com -  A seven-year-old girl died in Border Patrol custody after had not been given food and water for several days before her death.

The girl, Jakelin Caal Maquin died eight hours after being taken into custody as she attempted to cross the US-Mexico border with her father.

She and her father was two of 163 people seeking asylum who handed themselves in to patrol agents on December 6. They were placed on a bus to the nearest Border Patrol station, but Jakelin began vomiting on the journey. 

She was taken to hospital in Texas but died after she stopped breathing.

Border Patrol officials said agents did everything they could to save the girl but that she had not had food or water for days.

But, Guatemalan consul Tekandi Paniagua said Jakelin’s father, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz, 29, told that the group they were travelling with was dropped off in Mexico about a 90-minute walk from the border. 

He added they had been given food and water and Jakelin appeared to be in good health as she travelled through Mexico. 

Jakelin and her father came to the US seeking something that thousands have been seeking for years – an escape from the dangerous situation in their home country.

But, after the death of Jakelin, Border Patrol allegedly asked her father to sign vital forms about his daughter’s health in English – a language he does not speak.

In a statement released through their lawyers, Jakelin’s family said, "It is unacceptable for any government agency to have persons in custody sign documents in a language that they clearly do not understand. This was their right under US and international law."

Until now, the cause of death has not yet been released. A private prayer service was held in Texas on Friday so Mr Caal could see Jakelin’s body before it is flown back to Guatemala. 

Family in Guatemala said Mr Caal decided to migrate with Jakelin to earn money he could send back home while her mother and three siblings remained in San Antonio Secortez, a village of about 420 inhabitants. 

Mr Caal is reportedly keen to stay in the US and find work.

 

 

 

 

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