An eight-year-old boy from Guatemala has died in US government custody, immigration authorities say.<\/strong><\/p>\n It is the second time this month an immigrant child has died while being detained after crossing the US-Mexico border.<\/p>\n The previous instance saw a seven-year-old girl, also from Guatemala, die hours after being taken into custody.<\/p>\n US officials said she had tried to cross the Mexico-US border illegally with her family.<\/p>\n The Guatemalan girl, who authorities there named as Jakeline Caal, died of dehydration and shock,\u00a0the Washington Post reported.<\/a>\u00a0Border officials were quoted as saying she had not had food or water for several days.<\/p>\n Thousands of migrants have travelled from Central America to the US border.<\/p>\n The migrants say they are fleeing persecution, poverty and violence in their home countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.<\/p>\n Many of them say their goal is to settle in the US despite warnings by US officials that anyone found entering the country illegally will face arrest, prosecution and deportation.<\/p>\n The boy died shortly after midnight on Christmas Day, US Customs and Border Protection said.<\/p>\n In a statement, the agency said the eight year old had displayed “signs of potential illness” on Monday.<\/p>\n It reported that he and his father were taken to a hospital in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the boy was diagnosed with a cold and a fever, given prescriptions for amoxicillin and ibuprofen, and released on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n He returned to the hospital on Monday evening after he began vomiting and died there just hours later, the statement added.<\/p>\n The agency said the cause of death had not been determined, and that the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector-general and the Guatemalan government had been notified.<\/p>\n It’s been running high since the arrival of thousands of migrants in recent weeks.<\/p>\n Last month, US border agents used tear gas on a crowd of migrants, including children, trying to cross the border.<\/p>\n The agents said that personnel had been assaulted and hit by stones.<\/p>\n However, critics accused the Trump administration of a draconian response, while Mexico demanded an investigation into the incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
What happened in this latest case?<\/h2>\n
Why is there tension on the border?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>GETTY IMAGES – Migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border say they are fleeing persecution, poverty and violence<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
Migrant caravan: Boy dies after being held at Mexico-US border<\/h1>\n
BBC<\/p>\n
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