By Joe Simonson | Media Reporter
The father of the Guatemalan child who died Christmas Eve
denied further medical treatment from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents
after the child vomited following an initial examination from doctors, a
spokesman from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on a call to
reporters Wednesday.
Government officials provided further details, including
the startling disclosure of the father’s behavior, regarding the timeline of
the child’s deteriorating condition. According to officials, the 8-year-old
boy, Felipe Gomez Alonzo, was given multiple medical examinations by doctors
before being released with prescription medications.
Following the child’s first discharge from the hospital,
both he and the father were put into a temporary holding facility where agents
were aware of the child’s illness and provided the child
with his medication.
Honduran migrants taking part in a new caravan heading to the US, arrive to
Chiquimula, Guatemala, on October 22, 2018. ORLANDO ESTRADA/AFP/Getty Images
A few hours after the father and boy entered the facility,
the child complained of being nauseous and
later vomited.
It was at this point the father declined further medical
treatment for his son and told officials he “had been feeling better,” an
official said.
During a subsequent welfare check, agents at the facility
noticed the child’s condition and transported him to the hospital. The child
later lost consciousness during transit and was eventually declared dead just before midnight.
Government officials did not comment on why exactly they
think the father denied further treatment for his child, despite him exhibiting
more severe symptoms.
