DHS is seeking to examine health conditions at Mexican migrant facilities, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will soon be visiting installations south of the border. | Gregory Bull/AP Photo immigration Nielsen deflects blame for boy's death in Border Patrol custody

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen sought to deflect blame Wednesday for the Christmas Eve death of an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol agents, blaming “a system that prevents parents who bring their children on a dangerous and illegal journey from facing consequences for their actions.”

The boy's death, combined with the death earlier this month of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, raises questions about conditions for detainees at a time when President Donald Trump is trying to rally support for get-tough policies on immigration amid a government shutdown over whether to spend $5 billion on a border wall.


"Our system has been pushed to a breaking point by those who seek open borders,” Nielsen said in a written statement. “Smugglers, traffickers, and their own parents put these minors at risk by embarking on the dangerous and arduous journey north.”

In January, Trump will have to face a Democratic House with newfound oversight authority. Incoming Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday in a written statement that the House will "hold hearings on the young boy's death and the death of seven-year-old Jakelin Caal earlier this month — as well as the conditions under which thousands of children are being held."

Caal, along with her father, was part of a group of 163 migrants arrested Dec. 6 near a border crossing in New Mexico. She began vomiting and stopped breathing while in the care of U.S. Customs and Border Protection before eventually dying at a Texas hospital.

“There is no reason that President Trump should be asking to fund a border wall when we are missing basic humanitarian pieces,” said Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas).

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Border authorities blamed the boy’s death on a variety of factors even as they promised to more closely examine medical care of children. There are “literally dozens” of migrants crossing the border each day with illnesses, and DHS is looking into whether migrant shelters in Mexico “may be prone to spreading disease, et cetera, that are causing some of these illnesses,” a DHS official told reporters on a conference call Wednesday.

DHS is seeking to examine health conditions at Mexican migrant facilities, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Nielsen will soon be visiting installations south of the border.

The child was detained Dec. 18 with his father illegally crossing the border near El Paso, Texas, and was transferred to the hospital the morning of Dec. 24 after coughing and exhibiting flu-like symptoms, DHS officials said on the call.

The boy tested negative for strep throat and, despite having a high fever, was diagnosed with a cold and released back to border agents with prescriptions for antibiotics and Tylenol, officials said. Later that night, after a series of welfare checks, Border Patrol agents rushed him back to the hospital after he appeared nauseous and lethargic. There was no emergency medical technician on site, officials said.

DHS officials didn’t say whether staffing in the El Paso facility was affected by the federal government shutdown; nearly 90 percent of DHS employees are considered “exempt” and continue to work.

The child lost consciousness on the way and was pronounced dead at the hospital just before midnight. He was identified by authorities in his home country as Felipe Gómez Alonzo, according to The Associated Press.

Authorities are conducting an “ongoing investigation regarding the decisions and factors,” the DHS said on the call.

In response to the boy’s death, the department on Wednesday ordered secondary medical checks on every child in its custody, with a particular focus on children under 10.

“This is a tragic loss," said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan in a statement Tuesday. "On behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, our deepest sympathies go out to the family."

McAleenan supported the president’s position on Wednesday, telling CBS: “We need border security investments, absolutely.”

CBP said it needs assistance from other government agencies in providing health services to migrants in its care. The agency “is considering options for surge medical assistance” from the Coast Guard and may request further aid from Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. CBP is also coordinating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ted Hesson contributed to this report.

