Guatemalan mother: My son was healthy on trek to US

The mother of a Guatemalan boy, who has died in US detention, says his child was not sick when he left his country with his father, contradicting US officials’ account of the death.

Speaking to The Associated Press on Saturday, Catarina Alonzo, the mother of 8-year-old Felipe Gomez, said, her son reported he was well every time he and his dad called home during their journey to the US.

She said the last time she talked to Felipe he was in Mexico at the US border without any health-related problem.

However, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the boy, who died early on Tuesday in Alamogordo, New Mexico, was suffering from the flu.

The boy showed “signs of potential illness” Monday and was rushed to a hospital in Alamogordo, according to the agency.

He was the second migrant child this month to die in US custody after crossing the border.

Earlier this month, Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl, died after being arrested by border agents. She died of dehydration while in US custody.

Immigrant child’s death rekindles criticism of Trump

The death of a 7-year-old immigrant child reignites criticism of Trump’s harsh anti-immigration policies.

Human rights advocates say Jakelin’s death illustrates the scope of inhumane treatment of asylum seekers by US officials.

“The tragic and preventable death of an innocent seven-year old girl should not be seen as a mistake made in an otherwise humane system, but rather a deliberately cruel and dehumanizing system that has produced yet another death,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, an immigrant rights advocacy group.

Trump, who has come under severe criticism for his tough immigration policies, has blamed Democrats for the death of the two children.

“Any deaths of children or others at the Border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally,” Trump tweeted on Saturday.