Unaccompanied Honduran teen dies in US custody after Title 42 expires | US Immigration

Unaccompanied 17-year-old immigrants from Honduras He died at a Florida shelter on Wednesday, officials said.

Investigators were still trying to determine the cause of death of the teenage boy on Friday after the United States lifted travel restrictions stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Honduran authorities have confirmed that the deceased child is Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza.of statement The US government notified Honduras of Maladiaga’s death on Thursday.

Espinoza was admitted to the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Support Facility in Safe Harbor. florida, unaccompanied by a parent or guardian on May 5. Five days later, he was found unconscious and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead after an hour of CPR.

Honduran authorities said an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Honduras’ Foreign Minister Enrique Reyna said Thursday night. twitter The government, along with the US government agencies that oversee immigration into shelters, the US Office of Refugees and Resettlement (ORR) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are in contact with Espinoza’s family, they said.

“the government, Hondurascontacted the family through its embassy in Washington and urged ORR and HHS to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident to bring this fact to light and, where responsible, apply the full force of law. I did,” Reina said. she said.

HHS issued a congressional notice to lawmakers Friday stating: warned until they die.

In a statement, HHS said it was “deeply saddened by this tragic loss and heartfelt to those families who are in contact.” The ministry said the ORR’s unaccompanied child health department “is reviewing all clinical details of this case, including health care records for all hospitalized patients.”

“The medical examiner’s investigation is ongoing. For privacy and safety reasons, ORR cannot share further information about the individual cases of children in our custody,” the statement read. I’m here.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, White House press secretary Carine Jean-Pierre said, “Rest in peace with your family,” and directed HHS to ask further questions.

The news of Espinoza’s death came a day after the US ended the so-called “war”. Title 42 Restrictions. The restrictions prevented many migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, citing health concerns related to COVID-19.

The Joe Biden administration introduced Title 42 restrictions, a new measure aimed at preventing and deterring people from entering illegal borders. The White House has sent 24,000 border agents and police officers to the border to enforce the new restrictions.

in the A few hours ago New restrictions took effect and migrants scrambled across the border crossing rivers and climbing walls in an attempt to cross the border late Thursday night.

Advocacy groups, led by the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over the new regulations, accusing the White House strategy of being substantially similar to the immigration policy of the Donald Trump administration. .