Illustration. (Istockphoto / Katarzyna Bialasiewicz)

Detained, This Teenage Guatemalan Immigrant Died in the US

Texas, USA - Local media reported that a teenage immigrant from Guatemala, Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez had cold while being arrested in Texas and unfortunately was declared dead in US custody on Tuesday (21/5). He was feeling unwell and then given a Tamiflu type drug before being transferred to the Weslaco facility.

It is reported that Vasquez is the fifth immigrant child killed in US border patrol prisoners since last December.

However, until today, there is no official statement from the US authorities regarding the reason for Vasquez's death. According to US law, minors and teenagers who got Hyperglycemic Hyperosmolar Syndrome (HHS) must be transferred to the HHS facility within 72 hours post-detention.

The executive commissioner of the US border and customs agency (CBP), John Sanders, only expressed condolences for Vasquez's death and stated that CBP is committed to providing health care, security and human care for those in our detention, and this was such an unfortunate situation.

Earlier, a two-year-old boy from Guatemala was also killed in hospital after he and his mother were arrested on patrol last week. The US Border Patrol Agency has indeed received wide spotlight over the past few months regarding treatment of child immigrant detainees.

The incident also attracted the attention of many parties, even asking for responsibility of President Donald Trump's government. International Amnesty stated that they have requested that the Trump administration change the practice of inhuman detention to prevent tragic deaths from occurring in the future.