After border deaths, more health exams for migrant kids

YUMA, Ariz. — More thorough initial health screenings for migrants, as well as secondary screenings, will be held for every child in Border Patrol custody following the deaths of two Guatemalan children this month, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was visiting Yuma on Saturday, a day after her trip to meet border officials and medical staff in El Paso, Texas.

“The system is clearly overwhelmed, and we must work together to address this humanitarian crisis and protect vulnerable populations,” Nielsen said. She called on Congress to “act with urgency.”

Late Friday, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo said he was among those who met with Nielsen, saying they discussed “our immigration needs on the border.” The statement from Margo, a Republican, did not mention the deaths of migrant children or whether it was discussed.

The trip came days after the death of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo in Alamogordo, N.M.

Felipe was the second Guatemalan child to die in government custody in three weeks. A 7-year-old girl died in El Paso earlier this month.

Nielsen has called the death “deeply concerning and heartbreaking” and requested medical help from other government agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard.

President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for migrant deaths at the border Saturday. He tweeted the deaths are the fault of “their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally.” Terror suspects: Dutch and German police on Saturday arrested five people suspected of preparing a terrorist act in the Netherlands.

Dutch police said in a statement that four suspects were detained in Rotterdam and officers searched multiple locations.