The 8-year-old migrant who died in Border Patrol Custody (BPC) last week “cried and begged for her life,” according to the girl’s mother, who claims her daughter repeatedly sought medical help before being brought to a hospital Wednesday, where she was pronounced dead.
But U.S. immigration officials said Sunday the child, who was born to Honduran parents in Panama, was seen by medical professionals three times on the day of her death.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, medics began treating Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez for influenza four days before she died. Officials said they were aware of the girl’s medical history, which included being born with congenital heart disease.
Border officials said the girl was running a fever of 101.8 and complaining of abdominal pain, nasal congestion, and coughing on May 14. She was reportedly treated with a combination of medicines including acetaminophen, ibuprofen and Tamiflu.
On the day she died, BPC said Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez was twice treated by medics after she complained of stomach pains and vomiting. On her third visit, she was transported to a Harlingen, Texas hospital after suffering a seizure that left her “unresponsive” around 1:55 p.m. Alvarez was pronounced dead at 2:50 p.m. The family was staying in a Donna, Texas facility roughly 24 miles from the hospital.
Her grieving mother, Mabel Alvarez Benedicks, told the Associated Press Friday the BPC did too little, too late.
“She cried and begged for her life, and they ignored her,” she said. “They didn’t do anything for her.”
CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement the agency was “deeply saddened” by the child’s death and vowed to “continue to ensure appropriate care for all medically fragile individuals.”
The girl’s family was released from immigration custody and headed to New York, where their daughter will be buried, according to CNN.