Tragedy Strikes: 8-Year-Old Girl Dies in U.S. Border Patrol Custody in Texas

An 8-year-old girl died on Wednesday after suffering a “medical emergency” while in U.S. Border Patrol custody in Texas, authorities said.

The girl and her family were being held at a facility in the city of Harlingen, next to the Mexico border, Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. Emergency Medical Services were called to the station and transported her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead, the statement said.

The Office of Professional Responsibility will conduct an investigation as is standard protocol in the case of a death, according to the statement. CBP said it plans to disclose “additional information” later on.

The death of the young migrant girl comes as cities across the United States struggle to provide shelter for migrants, while crossings at the southern border have dropped.

The incident is the latest in a string of deaths of migrants in U.S. custody. In December, a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy died in a Border Patrol station in Texas, and in April, a 2-year-old boy died after being released from a family detention center in Texas.