CBP: Nurse refused 3 or 4 times to call an ambulance for a migrant girl who died in Texas

Los Angeles (USA), June 1. The nurse who cared for the girl who died in the custody of US immigration authorities last month denied on “three or four occasions” requests to call an ambulance or transfer the minor to a hospital, the Office reported Thursday. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Anadith Tanay Reyes Álvarez, 8, died on May 17 while in Border Patrol custody along with her parents and her 2 older siblings at the Harlingen (Texas) facility.

CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) took over the investigation and this Thursday delivered a new report.

OPR explained that because the video recording system at the Harlingen station was not working, new information in the case has been obtained through interviews with CBP agents and medical personnel who interacted with the minor and her mother. .

It was determined that between the afternoon of May 14, when the Honduran family arrived in Harlingen, and the morning of May 17, the mother sought care for the child at least 9 times for flu-like symptoms.

One day before her death, the little girl registered a temperature greater than 40 degrees Celsius. Despite the girl’s condition and her mother’s concerns, “her contracted medical personnel did not transfer her (on May 16) to a hospital for higher-level care,” the agency stressed.

On May 16, the girl was treated with ice packs, fever-reducing medication and a cold shower.

The next day (May 17), the girl was seen by a nurse practitioner on 4 occasions after complaining of stomach pain, nausea, and shortness of breath.

The nurse admitted that she “refused three or four requests” from the girl’s mother to call an ambulance or take the little girl to a hospital.

After the fourth visit, the mother returned carrying the child in her arms when she was apparently having a seizure. Shortly after she stopped responding and it was not until then that the emergency services were called and the girl was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The little girl had entered the United States along with her parents and siblings, ages 13 and 14, on May 9 through an area near the Gateway International Bridge port of entry in Brownsville, Texas.

The family was sent to the CBP processing center in Donna, Texas on the morning of May 10, where they were all medically evaluated. Records indicate that the girl did not complain of any acute illness or injury that day, but the family provided a medical history detailing the chronic conditions of sickle cell anemia and heart disease.

On the afternoon of May 14, the girl complained of abdominal pain, nasal congestion, and cough. After undergoing tests, the girl was diagnosed with type A influenza and prescribed medication to treat this condition.

At this visit, medical staff documented that the girl had medical problems including cardiomyopathy (noting that the girl had undergone heart surgery at the age of five), which the family reported had been stable since the operation, but required attention from a cardiologist.

Based on agency protocols, the entire family was transferred to the Harlingen station on May 14.

OPR’s review has determined that neither CBP officers nor Harlingen medical personnel acknowledged knowledge of her prior health issues. EFE

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