FAMILY SEEKS $15M FOR MIGRANT GIRL'S DEATH

Child, aged eight, died in 2023 after she spent a week in border agency custody. By Jazmine Ulloa

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The death of an 8-year-old migrant girl in 2023 while she was in the custody of US Customs and Border Protection prompted investigations and the removal of the agency’s chief medical officer.

Now, two immigrant rights groups are seeking $15 million (498m baht) in damages on behalf of the girl's family.

In a wrongful death claim filed with the federal government on Thursday, lawyers for the family offer the most detailed public account yet of the life and death of the child, Anadith Danay Reyes Álvarez, and her family’s efforts to obtain answers about her care in federal custody.

Her death came during a record increase in migration, as the Biden administration struggled to curb illegal crossings and faced criticism about overcrowded detention facilities and the treatment of minors.

Illegal crossings plunged in the final months of the Biden administration after a change in asylum policy and have remained very low under President Donald Trump. But the Trump administration has made families with children targets for detention and removal as Trump seeks to fulfill a campaign pledge to deport millions of immigrants living in the country illegally.