Family Of Migrant Girl Who Died In US Custody Disputes Official Account Of Her Death

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Dec, 2018 ) :The family of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in U.S. Border Patrol custody has disputed the government's account of the events leading to her death, saying her father had provided her with water and food during their journey through Mexico en route to the U.S. border, according to American media treports.

The statement from the girl's family and their El Paso, a city in US state of Texas, lawyers was at a news conference in El Paso organized by Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, a local nonprofit organization that aids and houses immigrants.

The father, Nery Caal Cuz, has been at one of Annunciation House's shelters since Dec. 9, the day after his daughter, identified as Jakelin Caal Maquin, died at a local hospital.

"She had not suffered from a lack of water or food prior to approaching the border," according to the statement released by Garcia. Neither the family's lawyers nor the girl's father attended the news conference. "Jakelin's father took care of Jakelin � made sure shee was fed and had sufficient water.

"� The young girl was detained last week by Border Patrol agents after illegally crossing the southern border into the United States. She died after suffering from a high fever and seizures, according to Federal immigration authorities, who said the father was ultimately at fault.

The girl was in U.S. custody for more than 11 hours after crossing into New Mexico with a group of 163 migrants, including her father. She began vomiting, was determined to have a 105.7-degree fever, and then transported by Air Ambulance to a hospital in El Paso, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She later went into cardiac arrest at Providence Children's Hospital, but was revived before dying a short time later, according to DHS.

DHS' internal watchdog has launched an investigation into Caal's death. The administration said that the girl died from dehydration and shock while in U.S. custody after crossing the border with her father.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen called the 7-year-old's death "a very sad example of the dangers of this journey."�