As you may have heard, a 9-year-old Guatemalan boy died in while the custody of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Christmas Eve. This is the 2nd death of a child this month in CBP custody and Democrats are already vowing investigations in the new year.
But according to a timeline of events by Vice News, the father of the boy actually denied treatment after his son was released from the hospital. Three hours after that denial, the boy suddenly got worse and was rushed back to the hospital where he was eventually pronounced dead.
Here’s a timeline of events from Apprehension to the child’s death:
INITIAL DETENTION
Felipe was apprehended with his father on December 18 at around 1 p.m., at a location about 15-minute drive from the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas — one of the busiest border crossing stations.
Felipe and his dad were first taken to Paso Del Norte for processing, according to a timeline provided to VICE News by Customs and Border Protection. While detained there, they were given hot food, snacks, juice, and water, and agents logged six welfare checks (During a welfare check, an agent “directly observes all detainees are safe and secure, and attends to any issues observed or delayed by those detained,” according to Customs and Border Protection.)
Two days later, on Dec. 20, around noon, Felipe and his father were transferred to El Paso Border Patrol Station, nine miles away, where they were given showers, food, juice, and water. Agents said they logged 17 welfare checks over two days.
Due to capacity issues at El Paso, Felipe and his father were moved again, on Dec. 22, at around 11:30 p.m., this time to the Alamogordo Border Patrol station about 90 miles north, over the state border in New Mexico. They arrived around 1 a.m. and were given “personal hygiene products and meals” and received welfare checks, according to Customs and Border Protection.
GETTING SICK
Just four days later on December 24 around 9 a.m., Customs and Border Protection said that a processing agent noticed that Felipe was “coughing and appeared to have glossy eyes.” Felipe and his father were transferred to a nearby medical center on suspicion that they had the flu.
Initially, he was diagnosed with a common cold and given Tylenol. An hour later, around 1 p.m. during an evaluation for release, he was found to be running a 103-degree fever.
At 2:50 p.m., Felipe was discharged and given a prescription for an antibiotic and ibuprofen. He and his father were transported to a temporary holding facility near an interior checkpoint on Highway 70, which is used to catch smugglers and drug traffickers. There, Felipe and his father were offered and accepted a hot meal.
Around 5 p.m., border agents gave Felipe a dose of his prescribed medication. Two hours later, Felipe started vomiting. Customs and Border Protection said his father declined further medical assistance, as Felipe seemed to be feeling better.
Several hours later, around 10 p.m., Felipe “appeared lethargic and nauseous again,” according to Customs and Border Protection. Because the EMT was off duty, border agents brought Felipe back to the hospital. On the journey, he started losing consciousness and started vomiting again.
Less than 45 minutes after arriving at the hospital, he was pronounced dead.
If this timeline is accurate, then I don’t see how CBP can be held responsible for the boy’s death.
The hospital released the boy in the first place. Later his father thought he was getting better and thus denied more treatment. It was only when the boy’s symptoms got worse 3 hours later that he was rushed back to the hospital where the child died.
It looks to me that the CBP did everything they could to aid the boy and his father.
ABC St. Louis also reports on a statement by DHS officials on the boy’s death, and this does match their statement.