Photo: Getty Images
An 8-year-old girl died in U.S. Border Patrol custody after suffering a "medical emergency," NBC News reports.
Anadith Reyes, 8, and her family were being held in Harlingen, Texas, near the Mexican Border, before her death, according to Customs and Border Protection.
"Emergency Medical Services were called to the station and transported her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead," CBP said in a statement.
Reyes' aunt, Lorna Santos, remembered Reyes as a "happy girl" who was born with a heart condition in Panama to Honduran parents. Santos said the family saw the U.S. as a "country of opportunities" and went to cross the border earlier this month in hopes of continuing treatment for Reyes.
Reyes hadn't "been feeling well" recently and tested positive for the flu, according to Santos.
Santos said Reyes' mother took her to be checked out by authorities several times while in custody. On Wednesday morning, Reyes began experiencing pain in her back and "shortness of breath," which is when they took authorities took her to the hospital.
“They left her there in the waiting room, and that’s where the girl died,” Santos said.
Following Reyes' death, Santos recalled receiving her a call from her sister who said “we no longer have her in this world.” The aunt is questioning why border patrol authorities detained Reyes for days knowing her medical condition.
CBP said it had contacted the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the Harlingen Police Department in regard to Reyes' death. The Office of Professional Responsibility is also conducting an investigation into the incident, according to CBP.
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