7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Dies Of Dehydration In Border Patrol Custody

[mikeymikec]

@Jaskalas - I'm amazed that you've somehow missed that this 'update' alters pretty much nothing about the facts of the scenario, being:

Girl completed a desert crossing and it was stated that she hadn't eaten or drunk in days
Left for eight hours without even a basic medical examination
"Oh dear, she died, thoughts and prayers"

WB's comment is right on the money.

 

[Starbuck1975]

You dont have air ambulances? I guarantee that if it was a senators child that was ill they wouldn't stick her on the next bus to turn up.

Isn’t that the way of the world? I doubt the Senator’s child goes to a school that is lacking textbooks or teachers or nutritious meals either. This death will occupy a news cycle, and then be forgotten like so many others.

I donated food and a pallet of bottled water today in her memory.

 

[Jaskalas]

You dont have air ambulances? I guarantee that if it was a senators child that was ill they wouldn't stick her on the next bus to turn up.

This girl was transported by air to the nearest hospital the moment they knew of her condition.

Do not ignore the facts.

 

[mikeymikec]

This girl was transported by air to the nearest hospital the moment they knew of her condition.

Do not ignore the facts.

Take your own advice:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8f4e4ec25953

A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father and a large group of migrants along a remote span of New Mexico desert, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.

According to CBP records, the girl and her father were taken into custody about 10 p.m. Dec. 6 south of Lordsburg, N.M., as part of a group of 163 people who approached U.S. agents to turn themselves in.

More than eight hours later, the child began having seizures at 6:25 a.m., CBP records show. Emergency responders, who arrived soon after, measured her body temperature at 105.7 degrees, and according to a statement from CBP, she “reportedly had not eaten or consumed water for several days.”

Emphasis mine. The only piece of evidence required to warrant qualified medical attention. That's aside from the fact that a child completing a desert crossing without a heck of a lot of prep and supplies would undoubtedly be in a bad way and should absolutely warrant immediate medical attention.

They only bothered to do anything vaguely medically competent when she exhibited undoubtedly dire symptoms.

 

[JSt0rm]

the nazis have their own facts.

 

[IronWing]

The border is not an inherent death trap. It is the calculated policy and tactics of border enforcement that turn the border into a death trap. This family seeking refuge in the United States took the desert route precisely because the Border Patrol has fortified the urban crossings against them.

 

[Viper1j]

The border is not an inherent death trap. It is the calculated policy and tactics of border enforcement that turn the border into a death trap. This family seeking refuge in the United States took the desert route precisely because the Border Patrol has fortified the urban crossings against them.

Head west about 75 miles out of TJ, and you'll come to a beach.

Swim out about 300 yards, and you'll come to the of the fence that stretches out into the ocean.

Swim around the end, and you're in San Diego county.

It's not rocket science.

And a so-called "wall" won't do shit to stop it.

 

[Jhhnn]

I wonder if there perhaps was a child in greater need that actually got attention and survived while she slipped by resting peacefully. Did they have a team of nurses just playing cards and sleeping in the break room and they would get around to it tomorrow when they had a chance? wish we knew right?

Signs of severe dehydration include:

• Not peeing or having very dark yellow pee.
• Very dry skin.
• Feeling dizzy.
• Rapid heartbeat.
• Rapid breathing.
• Sunken eyes.
• Sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability.
• Fainting.

So tell me how you would know a sleeping person is dehydrated? just curious since you say its so OBVIOUS etc etc..

Your bullshit is revolting. The border patrol blew it this time. They know it. They don't want stuff like this to happen, either. Quite how it came to be that way is unknown, but that's what happened. They just flat fucked up. It's a wake up call to do better in the future.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Doesn't matter how many bad choices the father made. When you take a child into custody, you're 100% responsible for their welfare. End of discussion.

 

[FirNaTine]

...

Perhaps she was medically evaluated initially and was in a much more stable state. Bacterial meningitis can take a mildly ill-appearing child to death in 8 hours for example. Anyone who does critical care work with children knows they compensate extremely well until they can't any longer and crash suddenly....

Absolutely this. To state it again emphatically, kids compensate and then crash rapidly requiring aggressive resuscitation. I've seen it a number of times. As in crashing in minutes to less than an hour from appearing stable.

The intraosseus (not inter BTW as it goes into, not between the bones) Interchange refers to literally is a needle driven into their shin to give fluids. Because by the time they get to that point their veins are basically worthless for starting an IV That's usually not something in a basic aid kit, and usually beyond the scope of most EMTs and is reserved for advanced providers (as a paramedic I regularly use it, though thankfully it's usually not for kids).

As far as the high temperature from what I can read is likely up because of infection, and leading to a seizure. But, during the seizures temp can climb even more due to the muscle activity. And if they're already dehydrated, they can't cool themselves. (It's also possible that the seizures were due to electrolyte imbalances from dehydration, but I'd look at that as the lesser likely reason)

And the single best source of information regarding a child is often their parents/caregivers. I don't know their baseline, so noticing changes is much harder. (Skin color/condition/level of interaction with others, etc). The more obvious signs are late signs, especially in kids. If the kid was up and walking on their own, they would not immediately appear sick to me (let me clarify when I say sick with kids it's not a cold, but an unstable child requiring immediatel diesel therapy and whatever I have time for on the way to the hospital, or not sick when I have more time on scene to assess and treat.)

I'd expect a kid having walked for days to be very tired, and that could mask early signs of sepsis/dehydration.

I do question their decision not to dispatch an ambulance to intercept the bus, as it looks like the decision was made to take the kid to help at the larger station. I've got no issue with them continuing towards help, but a unit coming from the direction *may* have been able to assess the child sooner and request the medevac earlier. It may still not have changed the outcome though.

To sum up, kids ARE NOT just small adults when it comes to management of emergency, and their symptoms and presentation.

 

[BUTCH1]

IMO this all comes down to when it was learned she was that ill, expecting border patrol to triage every single person when 165 are all encountered at once is not realistic IMO. As long as water and a snack were offered when they arrived after the 1.5hr bus trip then they didn't do anything wrong IMO. The father must assume culpability for taking a 7yr old on such a dangerous journey.

 

[FirNaTine]

There's also already changes to initial reports. The father is stating through lawyer and consulate that she did have food and water during the trip, and he's happy with efforts taking with treatment after she showed symptoms.

It is sounding more like a rapid crash from sepsis than maltreatment.

But, who knows if this is too will change as more information comes out

CNN: Father of Guatemalan girl who died in US custody has 'no complaints' about her treatment, consul says.

 

[Jaskalas]

Doesn't matter how many bad choices the father made. When you take a child into custody, you're 100% responsible for their welfare. End of discussion.

The facts are clear from the news articles.

Four agents on patrol found 163 people in the middle of nowhere, an hour and a half from food / water / medical treatment at their base. While transporting her to the base she stopped breathing. Her RESCUERS did everything they could to save her.

 

[Jaskalas]

As long as water and a snack were offered when they arrived after the 1.5hr bus trip

That's the point. She did not survive that trip in from the wilderness.

 

[JSt0rm]

The facts are clear from the news articles.

Four agents on patrol found 163 people in the middle of nowhere, an hour and a half from food / water / medical treatment at their base. While transporting her to the base she stopped breathing. Her RESCUERS did everything they could to save her.

Her rescuers were out there emptying water bottles in the desert. They are shitty humans.

 

[mikeymikec]

The facts are clear from the news articles.

Four agents on patrol found 163 people in the middle of nowhere, an hour and a half from food / water / medical treatment at their base. While transporting her to the base she stopped breathing. Her RESCUERS did everything they could to save her.

If when she was initially picked up she was immediately transported in order for a medical assessment to be performed as quickly as possible, then I'd be mostly inclined to agree with you. However you still seem to be trying your hardest to ignore the fact that she was left for 6.5 hours even before they bothered to transport her.

I say "mostly inclined", because the border patrol knew the conditions that border crossers in that area endure, and yet for some reason an initial medical assessment isn't performed at the first facility, even if that was purely an assessment performed by someone who is a qualified first-aider with additional training to spot issues likely to arise from a border crossing in that area (which isn't great but is far better than nothing). That would then allow them to treat some cases as medical emergencies rather than making them wait many hours first. To do otherwise is as dumb as organising a marathon without bothering to have any paramedics on-hand to treat people at the scene.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The facts are clear from the news articles.

Four agents on patrol found 163 people in the middle of nowhere, an hour and a half from food / water / medical treatment at their base. While transporting her to the base she stopped breathing. Her RESCUERS did everything they could to save her.

Doesn't matter, their responsibility. Are you trying to say that none of the four agents had their own personal water with them? That they weren't carrying the required 5 gallon can of water in their vehicle? Our interpretation of "everything" may differ but, even if they thought they did "everything" they could do, it's STILL their responsibility.

 

[Starbuck1975]

The girl’s father does not hold the border agents liable. Also lawyers for the father are now stating she had ample food and water.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

The girl’s father does not hold the border agents liable. Also lawyers for the father are now stating she had ample food and water.

Doesn't matter what the father says and it sure as he'll doesn't matter what the lawyers say, the child died in the custody of the border patrol, period. If they're not willing to accept the responsibility, don't do the job.

 

[pcgeek11]

I'm not sure how to read the first quote without you saying that I believed the officers stood there and watched a child die.

From your postings it seems you think that they were callous and didn't care if the child died or not standing by and doing nothing.

 

[IronWing]

From your postings it seems you think that they were callous and didn't care if the child died or not standing by and doing nothing.

You're a slow learner but you're finally catching on.

 

[pcgeek11]

US policy on drug is a large contributor to the problems in countries like Central America.

Republicans are sitting on their hands when it comes to immigration reform. Dems offered Trump a grand bargin in that public meeting so which Trump said he would approve and then he reneged. Instead Trump reverted to demonizing immigrants of color.

We need to enact comprehensive immigration reform that includes guest worker program.

Move towards marijuana legalization

Work with Mexico so both countries are involved in the refugee problem

Work with Central American countries to root out the gang problem.

I agree with the correction of Both parties are stuck in their own ruts and refuse to compromise.

BOTH Parties.

 

[Jaskalas]

Her rescuers were out there emptying water bottles in the desert. They are shitty humans.

Family lawyers say there was plenty of water. Try again with your hate mongering.

 

[Jaskalas]

Doesn't matter what the father says and it sure as he'll doesn't matter what the lawyers say, the child died in the custody of the border patrol, period. If they're not willing to accept the responsibility, don't do the job.

Border Patrol was there, in the middle of nowhere, RESCUING 163 people from the wilderness.
They did their job.
She died while in transport to the very services they are responsible for.

Stop listening to the hate filled propaganda. The narrative that they killed her is FALSE.

 

[interchange]

I agree with the correction of Both parties are stuck in their own ruts and refuse to compromise.

BOTH Parties.

Perhaps it is time to look at ourselves when we quest for improvement instead of finding fault in others.