An 8-year-old Guatemalan boy became ill while in the custody of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents. Despite being hospitalized, he died late Monday night, triggering an immediate political response from Democrats who oppose the president’s immigration policies.
Another death …
The boy, identified by Guatemalan authorities as Felipe Gómez Alonzo, was in a holding facility with his father since Dec. 18 when he developed “glossy eyes” and a cough. He was promptly transported to a New Mexico hospital for treatment.
At the hospital with his father, Alonzo was diagnosed with a simple cold at first, but doctors soon realized he had a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Medical staff monitored the boy for 90 minutes before prescribing antibiotics and pain relievers and releasing him back to CBP.
According to a timeline of Alonzo’s detention released by CBP, border agents later had to clean up his vomit, but his father “declined further medical assistance.” Soon, Alonzo “appeared lethargic and nauseous again” and the agents took him back to the hospital, where he passed away shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve.
Politicizing a tragedy
It is still unclear why Alonzo stayed in an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility for longer than the 72 hours which government policy recommends, although it is likely that larger facilities have been overwhelmed by hundreds of asylum seekers who recently came to the border in a large migrant caravan. ICE began releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants over the holiday weekend after their resources were overwhelmed by the mass influx of asylum seekers.
It didn’t take long for Alonzo’s tragic death to generate uproar from the left. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) took to Twitter to condemn the child’s death in CBP custody as “outrageous.”
What is happening at our southern border?! This makes the second death of a young child at our border in as many weeks. This is outrageous! This shocks the conscience.https://t.co/38VLtmtVFz
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 25, 2018
“This will not go unanswered,” promised Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA) in a statement.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) blamed the boy’s death on poor training and preparation among CBP officers. “It is clear #CBP is not trained nor prepared to provide medical or emergency responses to anyone in its custody & especially not to children,” he tweeted.
In a three-year period from mid-2012 to mid-2015, 18 detainees held in ICE facilities died under the care of the Obama administration. Reps. Lee, Correa and Espaillat were dead silent then, and there were no calls for investigations by outraged Democrats intent on smearing the administration.
Artificial outrage
Under any administration, border agents are not to blame when migrants arrive impoverished and in poor health after journeying hundreds of miles on foot. Yet, when a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl died while in CBP custody earlier this month, progressive watchdogs like the ACLU were quick to point to a “lack of accountability, and a culture of cruelty within CBP” as reasons for her death.
It didn’t matter that the girl “reportedly had not eaten or consumed water for several days,” or that the Guatemalan consul later said the girl’s father had “no complaints” about her care under CBP supervision. Democrats like Sen. Dianne Feinstein still wrote outraged letters to CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan demanding congressional oversight and a complete investigation.
Since Alonzo’s death, CBP has ordered medical checks of every single child in their custody. The Border Patrol is asking for help from other government agencies to support their emergency health care efforts and is currently “considering options for surge medical assistance” from the Coast Guard and Department of Health and Human Services.
Expect the left to interpret this action as an admission of guilt, however, and don’t expect criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration reform to abate any time soon.
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