A Honduran teenager, who had crossed the border into the United States without his family, died in a U.S. center for the care of unaccompanied minors, U.S. and Honduran authorities announced Friday, May 12.
Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said on Twitter that the deceased teenager was named Angel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza and was 17 years old. The youth died at a migrant care center in Safety Harbor, Florida, he said. He was placed there on May 5. On May 10, he was found unconscious and transferred to a hospital, where attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful, Honduran authorities said. The U.S. Department of Health, whose agency handles unaccompanied minors, confirmed the death, without giving details.
'Overwhelming news'
The ministry said it was "deeply saddened by this tragic loss" in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the family, with whom we are in contact," he said. U.S. authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the death. The White House called the death "damning news" through its spokeswoman. "This terrible event highlights the importance of working together on bilateral migration issues and the situation of unaccompanied minors, in order to find solutions," commented Enrique Reina.
This death comes in a particularly tense context, linked to a change in the immigration policy of the United States, with the lifting of "Title 42", a health measure introduced at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and which allowed migrants to be deported without delay. This change prompted thousands of migrants this week to rush into the United States, for fear of being penalized later by the new rules.
