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DHS promises changes to protect health of migrant children | TheHill

posted onDecember 27, 2018
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Article snippet: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is promising changes to how the agency handles the health of migrant children in U.S. custody, following the death of a second child in less than a month. DHS Secretary MORE on Wednesday said the agency will adopt a “series of extraordinary protective measures,” including having the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention investigate an uptick in “sick children” crossing the border. The announcement comes as congressional Democrats are promising an investigation into the death of an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala, the second such death of a child in CBP custody in a little over two weeks. The boy, Felipe Gómez Alonzo, passed away after being hospitalized in New Mexico with flu-like symptoms, high fever and vomiting. He had been detained with his father since Dec. 18 after crossing into the country illegally. His death prompted CBP to order medical checks on all children in custody. "At my direction, all children in Border Patrol custody have been given a thorough medical screening,” Nielsen said. “Moving forward, all children will receive a more thorough hands-on assessment at the earliest possible time post apprehension — whether or not the accompanying adult has asked for one.” CBP officials did not respond to questions about what those medical checks will entail, or what kind of care children in agency custody currently receive. According to Nielsen, it’s been more than a decade since CBP had a child die in their ... Link to the full article to read more

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