In a tragic incident last week, an 8-year-old girl lost her life while under the care of the Biden administration, and her mother alleges that officials repeatedly denied her requests for medical assistance.
The announcement came from CBP, stating that the young girl had passed away while she and her family were being held at the Harlingen Station, following a medical emergency. The CBP confirmed that medical personnel rushed her to the hospital, but she was tragically pronounced dead upon arrival.
Mabel Alvarez Benedicks, the girl’s mother, spoke out, claiming that her daughter died because she was deprived of air for approximately a day and a half. She tearfully recounted how her pleas for help were ignored as her daughter sobbed and writhed in pain. No action was taken to alleviate her suffering.
According to authorities, the initial assessment of the girl’s illness did not indicate an immediate need for hospitalization. However, the Benedicks family asserts that they had informed officials about the girl’s sickle cell anemia and cardiac condition.
The family had joined the surge of undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border of the United States on May 9, seeking refuge. Benedicks attempted to bring her daughter’s bone discomfort to the attention of the agents, but her concerns were dismissed, and she was advised to give her daughter some water instead.
Benedicks expressed her frustration, questioning how an agent, without medical expertise, could determine the appropriate course of action. Her statement echoes the growing concerns surrounding this incident.
The tragic death of a 17-year-old Honduran boy in the custody of the Biden administration has also come to light, further intensifying the scrutiny. The child has been identified as Ngel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza, confirmed by Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina.
Reports from the Tampa Bay Times reveal that Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri acknowledged that the facility where Espinoza passed away had received an email notification about his epilepsy from his cousin. Unfortunately, the case manager responsible for reviewing his medical history overlooked this crucial information.
It appears that Espinoza chose to keep his illness a secret, neither disclosing it to the facility staff nor carrying any medications with him. “He had his medicine when he left in April,” his mother, Norma Sara Espinoza Maradiaga, shared. He had it with him at the time.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, operated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, admitted Espinoza to the facility where he tragically passed away five days later. This distressing incident has raised questions about the adequacy of medical care provided to those under the government’s custody.
Both cases underscore the need for a thorough investigation and comprehensive measures to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.