Politics & Government
DHS Secretary Nielsen Visits Border After Child's Death
The trip to the border comes after a second Guatemalan child died in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody in three weeks.
EL PASO, TX— Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is visiting the Texas border city where an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy was detained with his father before dying in government custody .
DHS spokeswoman Katie Waldman said Nielsen is heading to El Paso on Friday. Waldman says Nielsen will tour multiple stations and substations operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Nielsen was also scheduled to meet with emergency medical technicians and medical professionals, as well as local officials. Nielsen will go to Yuma, Arizona, on Saturday.
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The trip comes four days after the death of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo. Felipe was the second Guatemalan child to die in CBP's custody in three weeks.
Nielsen has called the death "deeply concerning and heartbreaking" and requested medical help from other government agencies.
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Image: This Dec, 12, 2018 photo provided by Catarina Gomez on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018, shows her half-brother Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8, near her home in Yalambojoch, Guatemala. The 8-year-old boy died in U.S. custody at a New Mexico hospital on Christmas Eve after suffering a cough, vomiting and fever, authorities said. The cause is under investigation. (Catarina Gomez via AP)