The girl whose terrible death in the desert is convulsing Trump’s US
Wave of outrage after the President orders agents to empty water bottles left for migrants in scorching heat
THE death of a seven-year-old migrant girl is threatening to derail Donald Trump’s presidency.
Jakelin Caal Maquin died shortly after entering the US illegally with her 29-year-old father Nery on December 6, but news of her death only emerged late last week.
It caused a wave of revulsion across America when it was claimed that she had been refused critical medical treatment.
Despite the girl’s father begging border patrol agents for help, she died of dehydration less than 24 hours after being picked up in the New Mexico desert.
Her death was met with outrage after it emerged Trump – who has made illegal immigration a centrepiece of his presidency – ordered agents to empty scores of plastic containers filled with water left by well-wishers to help migrants cope with the scorching desert heat.
Jakelin, from Guatemala, was arrested along with her father and 163 other asylum seekers.
She started vomiting and having seizures after being taken into custody but, her father claims, his cries for help were ignored for an hour and a half.
When an ambulance was finally called, Jakelin’s temperature was 105.9F (41C) and she had stopped breathing. Medics managed to restart her heart twice and she was airlifted to a nearby children’s hospital in El Paso where she died.
Her cause of death was septic shock, fever and dehydration.
Her father later told authorities she had not eaten or had any water ‘for several days’. Last night, the girl’s grandfather Domingo Caal said Jakelin’s father left behind his wife and three other children because of ‘extreme poverty’ and hoped to seek asylum in the US before applying to bring the rest of his family over.
Domingo said: ‘It really hurts. Honestly, it’s hard to take in.’
Democrats zeroed in on Jakelin’s death, which they argue is a consequence of the administration’s focus on building President Trump’s proposed border wall.
‘I am devastated by this news, but I am hardly surprised. The administration has repeatedly shown a disinterest in solving immigration issues – instead leveraging Central America’s refugee crisis for their own political gain,’ said California Congressman Lou Correa.
Democrat senator Chuck Schumer tweeted: ‘A seven-year-old girl should not be dying of dehydration and shock in Customs and Border Protection custody,’ adding that Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen ‘must be held accountable’ for the girl’s death.
Democrat congresswoman Nancy Pelosi pledged: ‘We have a moral responsibility to ensure all children are treated with decency and compassion. The new Congress will investigate this horrific tragedy to ensure the safety and security of every child.’
Last Thursday, a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appeared to place the blame for her death on her father: ‘Travelling north through Mexico illegally in an attempt to reach the United States is extremely dangerous. Once again we are begging parents not to put themselves or their children at risk attempting to enter illegally.’
The American Civil Liberties Union condemned the statement, saying ‘This is a horrific, indefensible tragedy. What’s worse is that it is far from the first death at the hands of the DHS. If this isn’t the America we want to be, now is the time to be loud about it.’
A delegation of Hispanic congressmen and women will travel to New Mexico this week to call for an official inquiry into Jakelin’s death.
Thousands took to social media to protest, urging others to post Jakelin’s photograph and #Rememberhername began trending with many describing the death as ‘murder’.
Trump’s immigration policy has become a flashpoint for his presidency. He has deployed an extra 5,000 troops to the border to stop a 6,000-strong migrant caravan crossing into America.
Last week he threatened to shut down the US Government unless his demand for $5 billion (£4 billion) to build a wall across the US southern border is met.