Border Patrol says young girl in custody nearly died after going into cardiac arrest: report

A young girl who was in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody almost died last month after going into cardiac arrest, a CBP official told members of a congressional delegation on Tuesday, according to Buzzfeed News.

The girl was taken to a hospital in El Paso, Texas, where she was resuscitated, Buzzfeed reported.

{mosads}The episode occurred in the same sector where a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died earlier this month in CBP custody, according to Buzzfeed. That child, Jakelin Caal, died from dehydration and shock after being admitted to a hospital in El Paso.

El Paso Sector Chief Aaron Hull acknowledged the other incident to members of a congressional delegation that visited the CBP facilities where Caal was located before her death, Buzzfeed reported. 

One source told Buzzfeed that Hull told lawmakers doctors were lucky to have been able to save the girl.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) told Buzzfeed following the congressional tour of the CBP facility that he’s now worried there are cases of “people who were close to death that we just haven’t found out about.”

“It’s clear that for quite a while this sector has not been prepared to provide proper medical attention to people,” he said. 

The death of Caal, the 7-year-old girl, has prompted the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) inspector general to launch an investigation. The inspector general has said it will investigate the circumstances leading to her death and release a report with its findings.