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Congolese Asylum Seeker Died in Border Patrol Custody on Christmas Day

HeadlineDec 27, 2019

In immigration news, a 41-year-old Congolese asylum seeker died on Christmas Day in a Customs and Border Protection holding facility in Laredo, Texas, only one day after she arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border with her family. CBP said she was medically screened after she provided paperwork highlighting a previous medical condition. On-site medical personnel reportedly cleared her and transferred her to the holding facility for processing. A press release from CBP says the woman, who has not been identified, complained of abdominal pain and vomited before she was transferred to a local hospital, where she died on December 25. The woman’s family has since been released from CBP custody. Her death comes less than one week after a 56-year-old Nigerian man died in Maryland while in ICE custody.

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