A Mexican man who had illegally entered the country on more than one occasion died Monday morning in a Texas hospital after being apprehended by local police earlier this month.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement late Monday the unnamed 45-year-old man was taken into custody by the Roma Police Department about 50 miles northwest of McAllen, Texas, on Feb. 2.
The man told police he needed medical help and was driven by Starr County Emergency Medical Services to Mission Regional Medical Center.
The staff deemed him OK to be taken to the Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station, where he would be processed by Border Patrol and held for up to 72 hours before being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as is standard practice.
The man told Border Patrol agents during a welfare check on Feb. 3 that he needed to see a doctor and was taken back the McAllen Medical Center that day.
While there, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and congestive heart failure. He stayed at the hospital for 15 days before dying there around 9 a.m. local time Monday.
Despite the center’s diagnosis, CBP said the cause of death is unknown.
CBP Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs Andrew Meehan called the death “tragic” and said the Department of Homeland Security agency “remains committed to ensuring the safe and humane treatment of those within the care of our custody.”
Congress and the Mexican government have been notified of the Mexican citizen’s death.
CBP did not specify if the man had been previously deported or had a criminal record. It’s not clear if the man will have an autopsy done.
CBP and DHS watchdog offices are investigating the death.
The incident comes two months after two Guatemalan children died separately while in CBP custody.
A seven-year-old Guatemalan girl who was apprehended as part of a group of 163 migrants near Antelope Wells, N.M., in early December later died of sepsis.
An eight-year-old boy from Guatemala died at Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center in New Mexico shortly after midnight on Christmas Day.
