US authorities confirm unaccompanied minor died in migrant detention center News
US authorities confirm unaccompanied minor died in migrant detention center

A 17-year-old died in the custody US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) according to a Friday statement by the HHS.

Enrique Reina, foreign affairs secretary for Honduras, identified the unaccompanied child and offered his condolences in a tweet. Reina stated that Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza, a 17-year-old Honduran, died in a shelter in Safety Harbor, Florida while in the custody of the ORR. Reina also stated that the Honduran Embassy is in contact with Espinoza’s family and is investigating the matter.

During a May 12 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that a 6-year-old who had been in HHS custody “for a couple of weeks” died in HHS custody. Jean-Pierre said a medical investigation into the 6-year-old’s death had been opened on May 10, and she was unaware if President Biden had been briefed on the matter.

The migrant’s deaths follow the end of Title 42, a Trump-era immigration policy that permitted the Surgeon General to suspend the introduction of “persons and property” to the US if the Surgeon General finds there is a danger of communicable disease from a foreign country. Title 42 border restrictions follow the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023.

THIS DAY @ LAW

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