When an 8-year-old girl died in Border Patrol custody last month, officials at the Texas state detention center where she was held said the facility was “in hospital,” according to an internal report obtained by The Times. It is said that he was dissatisfied with “overuse”.

Anadis Danai Reyes Alvarez, who had sickle cell disease and heart disease, developed a fever of 101.8 degrees Celsius during the five days he was in jail in Donna, Texas.

On May 14, two days before Homeland Security investigators arrived to investigate Donna’s situation, Anadis tested positive for the flu and was sent to Harlingen, Texas, to detain contagious immigrants. was transferred to a facility in

Anadis’ fever spiked to 104.9 degrees Celsius and he was taken to hospital on May 17, where he died the same day. A nurse at the Harlingen facility said Anadis’ mother was the first to seek ambulance and hospital attention on the day her girl died, but she refused. DHS statement Two weeks later.

“Given his history of very serious medical problems, this patient should have been sent to the hospital as soon as he developed fever or other symptoms,” said Parveen Palmer, an emergency medicine physician and professor of medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. wrote in an email, Dr. to the Times. “It’s hard to predict what happened to her, but it’s certain that had she received this timely treatment, she would have had a much better chance of survival.”

The Border Patrol officer’s complaints about hospitalization procedures were contained in two memos prepared by the Office of the Immigration Ombudsman and obtained by The Times. The relatively new Observatory is tasked with investigating conditions within the Department of Homeland Security’s sprawling detention system. The memo is intended for agency leaders and contains details about the status of many facilities along the southern border this spring.

The first report, dated 15 May, details the prevalence of diarrhea among children and the problem of overcrowding in Laredo detention centres. A second report, dated 22 May, addresses medical problems at the Donna facility.

The report was prepared at a time of great strain on the country’s immigration detention system. Arrests at the southern border surged in the week before Title 42, a public health measure that allows border agents to turn migrants back quickly, expires on May 11. At one point that week, authorities held more than 28,000 migrants in border facilities, well over capacity.

Both documents contain a note that reflects the agency’s initial observations and has not been “verified and confirmed” under the agency’s normal procedures.

A third internal DHS document is dated 8 June, Obtained by Washington Postfound deficiencies in medical care above and below the border and called for a review of the system.

Homeland Security officials made general comments about the U.S. immigration detention system but did not on record respond to specific questions about any of the reports obtained by The Times. .

According to a May 22 memo, Border Patrol officers complained about the quality of medical care at the Donna facility. Donna’s staff “had a tendency to send immigrants to hospitals for easy on-the-spot remedies,” investigative sources wrote.

“For example, people who have a fever are sent to the hospital rather than being given antipyretics at the facility,” they say. “The migrants usually get ibuprofen from the hospital and go back to Donna, but they don’t have a fever.”

“It appears that the medical problems at Donna Hospital are hurting CBP,” the regulator said. [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] And the prime contractor…precious staff time. CBP told me he had as many as 12 agents in the hospital at one time. “

A person familiar with the report on medical care in Donna said he was not authorized to speak on the record, but the regulator’s explanation of Border Patrol’s view on hospitalization was “the view that more people should be treated on the spot.” is,” he said in an email. Provide the appropriate level of care intended in the contract, rather than burdening hospitals and medical institutions. [Border Patrol] Transport staff required in more urgent cases. such as those with pre-existing conditions. “

Excessive hospitalizations weren’t the only complaints from border agents about medical care in Donna, according to the report.

Facility officials told investigators that the boy with third-degree burns “should have been hospitalized but was treated on site with readily available creams.” He then had to be sent to a burn center. “

The report also points to complaints that medical staff at the facility do not administer oxygen “despite this being a standard function of paramedics.”

Border Patrol in Harlingen, Texas.

(From David Pike/Valley Morning Star, Associated Press)

The report also described an alleged misdiagnosis that led to an “overreaction” at the facility. Nurses diagnosed a person with possible measles, according to the report. “Fortunately, this was not an accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, news of this diagnosis spread, causing anxiety among staff and those in detention until the information was proven to be incorrect. It was widespread.”

Investigators also said minors at Donna Hospital were “tested only when problems were noted,” and that “some medical staff used Google Translate on their private phones for interpretation services.” It was also reported that

In response, a Customs and Border Protection official said, “Online translation tools are being used only on a limited basis and we are using every available tool to ensure communication with all those in detention. It’s an example of how we use the tools.”

CBP officials said they are prioritizing the treatment of families and “medically vulnerable” migrants, and that the review has reduced the time families are in custody. Clinicians from the U.S. Public Health Service have been deployed to border facilities to provide additional guidance and oversight, officials said.

“CBP will continue to review procedures, practices and facilities to ensure the protection of those we care for,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Palmer said border detention facilities are ill-equipped to deal with the complex problems they face.

“These have become healthcare systems without the resources to be healthcare systems,” she says. “The system does not have what it takes to care for complex patients. A comprehensive review of cases, charts and external oversight is needed to determine what can enhance the system.” .”