A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy died on Monday in U.S. Border Patrol custody in Texas, U.S. officials said, making him the fifth Guatemalan minor to die after being apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border since December. The boy, who was not identified, was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents on May 13 after crossing the border illegally, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol. The boy was the fifth Guatemalan minor since December to die after being apprehended at the U.S. border in Mexico. Reuters photos taken last week showed adults and children outside the U.S. Border Patrol station in McAllen, Texas, sleeping on the ground and rigging up makeshift awnings with reflective blankets to shelter form the sun. One Guatemalan man told Reuters that he and his 9-year-old son had spent nearly two weeks in Border Patrol custody in Texas, sometimes sleeping on the ground.

Source: The Star May 20, 2019 18:22 UTC