(Washington) A Honduran teenager, who had crossed the border from the United States without his family, died in an American center for the care of unaccompanied minors, announced Friday the American and Honduran authorities.
Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina clarified on Twitter that the deceased teenager was called Angel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza and was 17 years old.
The youngster died at a migrant care center in Safety Harbor, Florida, he said.
He had been placed there on May 5. On May 10, he was found unconscious and taken to a hospital, where resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful, Honduran authorities said.
The US Department of Health, whose agency takes care of unaccompanied minors, confirmed the death, without giving details.
The department said it was “deeply saddened by this tragic loss” in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the family, with whom we are in contact,” he said.
US authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the death.
The White House called this death “damning news”, through the voice of its spokesperson.
“This terrible event highlights the importance of working together on bilateral migration issues and on the situation of unaccompanied minors, in order to find solutions,” commented Enrique Reina.
This death occurs in a particularly tense context, linked to a change in United States migration policy, with the lifting of “Title 42”, a health measure introduced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and which allowed the deportation without delays migrants.
This change has prompted thousands of migrants to hurry to enter American territory this week, for fear of being penalized afterwards by the new rules.