8-year-old girl dies in Border Patrol custody in Texas as agency struggles with overcrowding

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — A little girl from Panama born with heart problems died in Border Patrol custody Wednesday, the second death of a child from Latin America in U.S. government custody in two weeks.

The 8-year-old girl and her family were being held in Harlingen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the busiest corridors for migrant crossings, the Border Patrol's parent agency, US Customs and Border Protection, said.

The agency has struggled with overcrowding at its facilities, spurred by a large increase in migrants ahead of the expiration last week of a key regulation on immigration linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The girl experienced “ a medical emergency ” and emergency medical services were called.

They took her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, the agency said.

An autopsy has been ordered, said Jesus T. “Chuy” Garcia Jr., the local judge presiding in the case.

The girl's name was Anadith Tanay Reyes Alvarez, said Honduran Consul José Leonardo Navas, who is based in McAllen, Texas.

He said she is from Panama, although her parents are from Honduras. The consul said that she was traveling with her father, mother and two older siblings.

She was born with heart problems and was operated on three years ago in Panama, according to her father who spoke with the consul.

Customs and Border Protection's internal affairs office will investigate the girls' death in Texas, and the Homeland Security Department's inspector general and Harlingen police have been notified, Customs and Border Protection said.

Sergeant Larry Moore, a spokesman for the Harlingen Police Department, said he had no information about the death.

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