Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has reportedly asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to look into an alarming increase in the number of sick migrant children crossing into the United States.
According to BuzzFeed News, Nielsen’s Wednesday request to the CDC to “investigate the uptick in sick children crossing our borders” followed a decision by Customs and Border Protection to also seek the help of other government agencies to provide health care for migrant kids in its custody.
The agency “is considering options for surge medical assistance” from the Coast Guard and may request help from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told CBS News on Wednesday morning that “dozens” of sick migrant children are being transported to hospitals every day.
“We’re doing dozens of hospital trips every single day with children that have fevers or manifest other medical conditions,” he said.
“What we’re seeing is more children than ever before coming into our custody,” he added. “At this pace in December, we’ll have almost 25,000 children — most of them accompanied by parents — who have crossed our border and arriving in custody. That ’s an enormous flow … very different than we’ve seen before.”
An official also told reporters Nielsen is requesting that Mexican authorities also investigate the living conditions of migrant holding camps across the border to see if that is the source of illness, the Daily Caller reported.
CPB has been sharply criticized by immigration advocates and human rights groups in the wake of the death of an 8-year-old Guatemalan child who died in border patrol custody Monday. His death came just days after DHS announced the mid-December death of a 7-year-old girl.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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