CBP announces changes to welfare checks on children after second child dies in Border Patrol custody

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced changes to its medical screening for migrant children.

The move comes after two children died this month in Border Patrol custody after they were detained for crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.

The latest death was on Christmas Eve after Felipe Alonzo Gomez, 8, was transported to an Alamogordo hospital after he fell ill while in Border Patrol custody.

The boy and his father were detained in El Paso on December 20, about three miles west of the Paso Del Norte Bridge, after attempting to enter the country illegally.

CBP released a timeline of their detainment until the time of the boy’s death.

To read the timeline, click here.

CBP said in a statement Border Patrol it will be conducting secondary medical checks on all children in its “care and custody,” including unaccompanied minors and those who arrive with family members.

The agency said it will focus on medical checks for children under the age of ten years old.

“This is a tragic loss. On behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, our deepest sympathies go out to the family. Deaths in CBP custody are extraordinarily rare,” said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan.

CBP said it needs the assistance of other agencies to help transport families to temporary shelters. It is also reviewing all available custody options to relieve capacity issues at Border Patrol stations and checkpoints in the El Paso sector.

Officials said it is considering requesting medical assistance from interagency partners like the U.S. Coastguard, asking for further assistance from the Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Health and Human Services to assist Border Patrol with supplemental medical capabilities.