Eight-year-old girl dies in Border Patrol custody in Harlingen, Texas

An eight-year-old girl died Wednesday in Border Patrol custody in Harlingen, Texas. According to authorities, the girl and her family were being held at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) station in the Rio Grande Valley when she experienced a medical emergency. After being transported to the hospital, the minor was pronounced dead.

The statement from CBP, the Border Patrol's parent agency, did not disclose the girl's nationality or provide additional information about the incident. As The L.A. Times notes, this is the first death of a minor in Border Patrol custody since 2019. Other minors have died recently while in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody, the latest occurrence being a 17-year-old Honduran boy who died last week.