>>> A 7-YEAR-OLD MIGRANT CHILD IS DEAD, BUT WE ARE JUST HEARING
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. THEY WERE PART OF A MIGRANT
GROUP THAT WILLFULLY TURNED
THEMSELVES IN TO BORDER PATROL
AGENTS.
AGENTS. SHE DIED EIGHT HOURS AFTER THAT
SURRENDER.
SURRENDER. ALTHOUGH SHE WAS TO BE CARED FOR
IN THE U.S., IN U.S. CUSTODY,
SHE WAS NOT RUSHED TO THE
HOSPITAL UNTIL SHE ALREADY
STOPPED BREATHING.
STOPPED BREATHING. JOINING ME FROM OUR LOS ANGELES
NEWS ROOM, YOU ARE
CORRESPONDENT.
CORRESPONDENT. >> THE GUATEMALAN MINISTRY TOLD
THE ASSOCIATE PRESS THIS
MORNING, THIS IS A HORRIFIC
STORY.
STORY. THIS 7-YEAR-OLD CROSSED WITH 163
MIGRANTS ON THE BORDER, LOOKING
AT THE MAP RIGHT THERE.
WE ARE THE ARIZONA BORDER.
AFTER BEING DETAINED THERE FOR A
LITTLE TIME AT 4:30 IN THE
MORNING, THEY WERE PUT ON A BUS
AND HEADED TO THE LORDSBURG
BORDER PATROL STATION 95 MILES
AWAY.
AWAY. AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING WE WERE
TOLD BY A CPV OFFICIAL, THAT
GIRL’S FATHER NOTIFIED BORDER
PATROL AGENTS ON THE BUS THAT
SHE WAS VOMITING AND SICK, AND
THE GIRL DID NOT RECEIVE MEDICAL
ATTENTION UNTIL SHE ARRIVED AT
THE BORDER PATROL STATION AT
6:30 IN THE MORNING BY WHICH
TIME THE FATHER TOLD THE AGENTS
SHE STOPPED BREATHING.
SHE WAS TRANSPORTED BY
HELICOPTER AROUND 7:45 TO EL
PASO, TO A HOSPITAL WHERE SHE
DIED.
DIED. THE FOLLOWING MORNING -- THIS IS
A TERRIBLE MORNING THAT RAISES
TERRIBLE QUESTIONS.
TERRIBLE QUESTIONS. WHAT DID THEY KNOW ABOUT THE
CONDITIONS IN THE DETENTION
CENTERS FOR YOUNG MIGRANTS?
HE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT MUCH
MORE MIGRANTS WERE COMING BUT
DID NOT MENTION HE KNEW THIS
GIRL DIED.
GIRL DIED. DESPITE THE FACT CONGRESS NEEDS
TO BE NOTIFIED 24 HOURS AFTER AN
EVENT LIKE THIS TAKES PLACE, DHS
WILL NOT SAY IF THEY KNEW SHE
DIED OR NOT.
>> WHAT IS THEIR RESPONSE?
>> FAMILY NUMBERS ARE INCREASING
IN NUMBERS.
IN NUMBERS. IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP THIS IN A
LARGER CONTEXT, WHICH IS OVER
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THE
CROSSING HAS GONE DOWN BUT THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE DYING WHILE
TRYING TO DO SO HAS GONE UP, AND
PEOPLE LOOK AT THE STRATEGIES
LIKE A BORDER WALL AND PUSHING
PEOPLE AWAY INTO LONG LINES TO
WAIT ON ASYLUM AND THEY CROSS
OVER TO MORE DEADLY CONDITIONS.
IF YOU GO BACK AND YOU LOOK AT
THE POLICY OF PREVENTION THROUGH
DETERRENCE, AND YOU LOOK AT
PEOPLE WILL TRY TO CROSS IN
AREAS MORE DEADLY OR NOT CROSS
AT ALL, AND IT’S THE FORMER THAT
WE ARE SEEING HAPPENING.
>> WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT,
IS IT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT AND BORDER
PATROL?
PATROL? REGARDLESS OF IF A FAMILY
CROSSES THE BORDER, ONCE YOU
TAKE THAT CHILD INTO CUSTODY
DOES THE THE GOVERNMENT HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO CARE FOR THAT
CHILD AND MAKE SURE THAT CHILD
IS OKAY AND IS ALIVE?
>> YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD,
KATIE.
KATIE. YOU ARE ABOUT TO HAVE A BABY AND
I HAVE A LITTLE SON, AND WHAT
WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR CHILD WAS
VOMITING AND HAD A FEVER ON A
BUS DRIVING 95 MILES, AND WHAT
WOULD YOU WANT FOR YOUR CHILD?
I WOULD WANT MY CHILD TO GET
CARE, AND IN THIS CASE IT WAS AN
HOUR AND A HALF BEFORE THAT
CHILD GOT MEDICAL ATTENTION AND
THEN SHE STOPPED BREATHING AND
THEN SHE WAS SEIZING.
>> WAS IT BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT
CLOSE TO A MEDICAL FACILITY?
>> THAT’S WHAT DHS SAYS TO ME.
>> A HELICOPTER COULDN’T HAVE
GOT THERE?
GOT THERE? >> I HAVE BEEN OUT THERE AND
THERE’S A BORDER TEAM THAT
SPECIALIZES IN RESCUING PEOPLE,
AND I KNOW THERE’S A CAPABILITY
FOR BORDER PATROL TO QUICKLY
RESCUE PEOPLE AND GIVE THEM
MEDICAL ATTENTION AND WE KNOW IT