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An 8-year-old girl died while in custody with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Texas, 

The child was being held with her family at the CBP station in Harlingen, Texas, when "she experienced a medical emergency," the agency said. Emergency Medical Services transported her to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. 

Information about the girl's name and nationality was not immediately available. 

The CBP said its internal affairs unit, the Office of Professional Responsibility, is conducting an investigation of the incident, as is standard protocol after an in-custody death. 

The Harlingen station sits at the southern tip of Texas, a section of the border that's seen an increase in migrant crossings over the last few weeks in anticipation of a return to old policies following

 The policy allowed officials to quickly turn back migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border over the last three years.

As of May 11, officials must detain or release people who cross the border. In anticipation of that policy change, 

CBP detained more than 28,000 migrants last week

For now, a federal judge in Florida has blocked the administration from 

 without a court date. The ruling sparked concern from immigration officials, who said that holding migrants longer could lead to unsafe conditions. 

 died while being detained in Florida, at a facility for unaccompanied minors run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The agency did not release a cause of death. 

 during the Biden administration, according to a report from NPR member station WLRN. At least six migrant children 

died in U.S. custody during the Trump administration.

In April, the CBP tracked 58,964 encounters with migrant families and 11,478 unaccompanied minors, according to 

 CBP encounters with migrant families increased 28% between March and April.   

Social Issues

Immigration

Emily Olson

Author

The young girl died in U.S. Border Patrol custody after experiencing a "medical emergency," the agency said. The news underscores concern about the safety of migrants with Title 42 no longer in place.

An 8-year-old girl died after being detained by U.S. Border Patrol

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