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The Real Story of How the 8-Year-Old Died in US Custody Doesn't Fit the Media Narrative

By Kara Pendleton December 27, 2018 at 11:31am

Once again, the left is using the tragic death of a child to push a narrative. While a family grieves, the establishment media paints the tragedy as an ‘I told you so’ moment against the U.S. Border Patrol.

By proxy, it is all being used to smear President Donald Trump. But the facts, yet again, do not support the narrative being pushed.

BREAKING: U.S. immigration authorities say an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala has died in government custody. It’s the second instance this month of an immigrant child dying while being detained. https://t.co/DyX7hQA1ol

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 25, 2018

What is happening at our southern border?! This makes the second death of a young child at our border in as many weeks. This is outrageous! This shocks the conscience.https://t.co/38VLtmtVFz

— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) December 25, 2018

The truth is that 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo had been given a wellness check while he and his father were in the custody of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency.

During that time, agents noticed the child was ill, and the child was taken with his father to the hospital, The Daily Caller reported.

The child was treated and given prescriptions for amoxicillin and ibuprofen. After further observation, the child was released.

Was this boy's death the fault of the Border Patrol?

Agents provided the child with his medication, but noticed later that the child was vomiting. He complained about nausea, as well.

At this point, the father refused further medical care for his son and claimed the child “had been feeling better,” The Daily Caller wrote.

NEW: Father of Guatemalan child who died Christmas Day denied further medical treatment after his son threw up in custody, officials say.

Read more via @DailyCaller https://t.co/rCCg33siCr

— Joe Gabriel Simonson ☃️ (@SaysSimonson) December 26, 2018

The father might have been afraid or thought it was nothing serious, as some parents might have. Regardless, the child’s condition worsened, and when authorities saw that during one of their numerous checks on him, they took him back to the hospital.

While in transit, the child lost consciousness and was pronounced dead prior to midnight that evening.

We don’t yet know why the boy died, much less whom to blame for it. Sometimes what seems fairly mild gets worse very quickly and sometimes parents and even medical staff are caught by surprise.

What we do know is that care was given and despite that, the boy died. We know that as more and more foreigners are encouraged by the left to come to the U.S. illegally, the understaffed Border Patrol becomes overwhelmed, which can limit how often or quickly they can monitor a given situation.

This can make it more difficult to care for those who are in custody, adding to the risk undertaken by those coming here illegally.

The problem is not the Border Patrol. The problem is illegal immigration.

This case is similar to that of another migrant child who recently died, in which the left jumped on a narrative that border agents caused her death, despite the fact that the father did not blame them and said they had done everything they could to help her.

It is unacceptable for a child to die in the custody of the U.S. government. Anyone and everyone responsible must be held accountable. Period. https://t.co/DRYcLm95W2

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) December 26, 2018

If we insist on playing the blame game, perhaps the first finger to be pointed should be at the left for encouraging people to make the dangerous trek to America illegally, sometimes falling victim to traffickers and others who would prey upon them.

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