Responding to news reports of the death of a Guatemalan 16-year-old after being taken into custody of a Customs and Border Protection facility in El Paso, Ashley Houghton, tactical campaigns manager at Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement:
“Yet another child has died in US government custody. This death, which comes days after the administration released a proposal to make it even more difficult for people to seek safety in this country, leads us to wonder how many deaths it will take for the administration to ensure the safety and security of children. There must be an independent investigation into this child’s death.
“It is dangerous and cruel to detain people, particularly children, in crowded and unsanitary conditions for seeking protection. The administration must respect human rights by ending detention of children.”