Migrant girl, 7, dies in custody of Border Patrol

A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father and a large group of migrants along a remote span of New Mexico desert, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.

The child’s death is likely to intensify scrutiny of detention conditions at Border Patrol stations and CBP facilities.

According to CBP records, the girl was taken into custody about 10 p.m. Dec. 6.

More than eight hours later, the child began having seizures at 6:25 a.m., CBP records show. Emergency responders measured her body temperature at 105.7 degrees, and according to a statement from CBP, she “reportedly had not eaten or consumed water for several days.”