The number of migrant families and unaccompanied minors journeying over land to the United States has swelled in the last year. Migrants are usually transferred to facilities designed to hold adults after being arrested by federal authorities while attempting to enter the country illegally or after being processed at a port of entry.
The boy, who has not been named, died just after midnight Tuesday at a hospital in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where he and his father had been taken after a Border Patrol agent saw what appeared to be signs of sickness, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. His death follows that of a 7-year-old girl from the same country while also in the custody of the Border Patrol.
At first, the boy was thought to have a cold, but staff at the hospital later found that he also had a fever, according to the agency.
He was released Monday afternoon with prescriptions for amoxicillin, a commonly prescribed antibiotic, and ibuprofen, which is often used for relieving pain and reducing fever.
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On Monday night, however, the boy grew nauseated and vomited, prompting border authorities to take him back to the hospital, where he died.
The cause of death is not known, but an internal review will be conducted, according to the agency, which said it had notified the government of Guatemala. Officials at the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for additional information related to the boy’s death.
In a Christmas morning question-and-answer session with reporters, Trump touted his administration’s immigration policies and demanded further funding for a border wall. While he castigated migrants, the president did not bring up the boy’s death hours earlier.
Several Democratic members of Congress responded to news of the boy’s death with sharp criticism of the Trump administration’s approach to the border.
“This is devastating news on Christmas Day — a time when so many around the world are holding their families and loved ones close — and my heart goes out to this young boy’s family,” said Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., calling for a full investigation.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.