EL PASO — The father of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in United States custody this month, disputed on Saturday the assertion by authorities that his daughter had not eaten or consumed water for several days before being detained by the Border Patrol. The shelter, Annunciation House, is caring for Mr. Caal Cruz. The family’s lawyers also pointed out that the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office, which is conducting Jakelin’s autopsy, had not yet released a cause of death. Immigration activists say the expansion of the Border Patrol under President Trump is pushing immigrants into more remote territory, making crossing far more perilous. At least 412 migrants were found dead along the Southwest border in 2017, up from 398 the previous year.

Source: New York Times December 16, 2018 02:03 UTC